Mumbai:
Anna Hazare, 74 and unwell, has announced that he is calling off his fast at the MMRDA Grounds in Mumbai. He will neither head to Delhi now, as discussed earlier, nor launch a civil unrest or
jail bharo agitation, for which nearly two lakh people have signed up online. Instead, his aides say, Anna will be medically examined this evening and will then return to his hometown of Ralegan Siddhi in Maharashtra.
At MMRDA Grounds this evening, he said, "It won't be proper to have jail bharo agitation now...instead, we will go for voters' awareness programme in five states." His closest aide, Arvind Kejriwal, said the
jail bharo or civil unrest movement will be launched "later at an appropriate time." For now, the activists' agitation against the government pauses. They will strategise about their plans to take on the Congress now via elections.
Last night, doctors said Anna was seriously unwell. His blood pressure was rising, and he was feverish. This morning, they warned that if he persists with his fast, he faces the risk of a kidney failure. Members of his core group say the activist may have to be hospitalized.
Looking weak, Anna said this evening that for the upcoming state elections, he said he will campaign against all those "traitors" who did not support the Lokpal Bill. "The Congress has cheated us more than any other party, including the BJP," he said. Anna began his fourth fast this year to protest against the government's version of the Lokpal Bill that was cleared with amendments last night by the Lok Sabha.
To become a law, it must now be passed by the Rajya SAbha. The Lokpal is a new national anti-corruption agency with nine members that will investigate politicians and bureaucrats for corruption. Anna says the Lokpal Bill creates an ombudsman with no power and limited authority, especially because it has not been given an investigating agency to tackle complaints of graft. Mr Kejriwal, said that as the ruling party, the Congress must accept the responsibility for a weak Lokpal, and the party will be singled out in Team Anna's campaign for the elections.
During the Lokpal debate in the Lok SAbha yesterday, a series of politicians from different parties were unsparing in their criticism of what they describe as Anna's attempts to undermine the supremacy of parliament. They said the Lokpal Bill's passage must not be hurried to placate Anna into ending his hunger strike. This is Anna's fourth fast this year for the Lokpal Bill. Lalu Prasad from Bihar was toxic in his comments. He said he wants to set up a national committee to protect Anna's health. "At the drop of a hat, there is an agitation," he said, before dramatically raising his voice to declare, "We don't want this (Lokapl) Bill. Take it away."
Anna responded today, urging his supporters not to let insults or criticism affect their morale. "After all, people only throw stones at a tree that's bearing fruit, not a barren one," he said.
There were 5000 people at his camp today, an improvement upon yesterday's numbers. Team Anna had organized shuttle buses to move people from nearby stations to the camp. Privately, they say the MMRDA Ground is not an ideal location in terms of public transportation and connectivity. When asked about the lethargic response to his camp, Anna said, "People all over the country are supporting us. That is not a small thing."