Anna Hazare is expected to meet Mamata Banerjee in Delhi next Tuesday
Anna Hazare will campaign for Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress in the Lok Sabha elections due by May. The Gandhian activist has so far kept away from political campaigns.
At his Ralegaon Siddhi village in Maharashtra, the 76-year-old Anna explained why Mamata gets his endorsement.
"She lives in a 10 by 12 room, wears hawai chappal," he said, adding, "I want to say that after 66 years of Independence nobody has thought of changing the economic system, but Mamata Ji has thought about it."
Mr Hazare said former union minister Mukul Roy visited him as the emissary of Ms Banerjee, who is the chief minister of West Bengal. "Mamata ji said that if they come to power, they are willing to accept all my 17 points."
Anna says he had sent 17 suggestions to every political party, which he believes will do the nation good if implemented. Only Ms Banerjee replied.
Mr Hazare has earlier too praised what he calls Ms Banerjee's simplicity. "I have faith in her because she is a Chief Minister but still wears slippers. She did not take a government bungalow. She lives in her father's small house. Her sari is simple, made of khadi. She walks for 8-10 kilometres every day visiting villages. Such people can improve the nation," he had said in Delhi a few days ago.
He said he endorsed Ms Banerjee for the post of Prime Minister.
Mamata Banerjee launched her campaign for the Lok Sabha elections a few days ago with a call to her party to look towards Delhi. "BJP is not the alternative to Congress. Congress is not the alternative to BJP. Trinamool is the only alternative in the country today," she told a massive rally in Kolkata last month.
She is expected to meet Anna in the capital on Tuesday next to finalise how he will contribute to the Trinamool Congress' campaign.