Activist Anna Hazare at Delhi's Jantar Mantar. (Image Courtesy: ANI)
Maybe next time, Anna Hazare has indicated to the Aam Aadmi Party, whose chief Arvind Kejriwal had invited the 77-year-old activist today to the Delhi secretariat, which houses his office, to "purify the space."
At a re-union witnessed by hundreds, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal touched Anna Hazare's feet at a large protest rally on Tuesday and said, "I think of Anna as my guru, my father. I request him to spare 10 minutes to visit the Delhi Secretariat tomorrow. His presence will purify the space."
The AAP said today that Anna has not RSVPed. "We invited him but he has not confirmed," said a party spokesman.
When Mr Hazare left the Maharashtra Sadan on Wednesday morning, where he stays when in Delhi, he headed straight for Jantar Mantar, where a large number of farmers have gathered for a Congress rally against the Narendra Modi government's land reforms.
Arvind Kejriwal had by then reached his office for another meeting.
Anna Hazare had led a two-day protest at Jantar Mantar till yesterday. Like a united opposition, Anna says that the changes the government proposes in the law will deny farmers the compensation and rights due to them and favours corporates.
In 2011, when Anna Hazare led an anti-corruption movement that incited wide street protests, Arvind Kejriwal was his chief aide. The two fell out in 2012 over Mr Kejriwal's decision to launch a political party.
Mr Kejriwal has maintained all along that he has sought the blessings of and a reconciliation with Anna, who for months spurned all such efforts, often making comments that taunted Mr Kejriwal.
After Mr Hazare said he welcomed Mr Kejriwal to share the stage with him at the Delhi protest, the chief minister arrived on Tuesday with his 66 AAP legislators and pledged support to the farmers, who say the central government is discriminating against them.
In December, the government issued an ordinance to exempt projects in defence, rural electrification, rural housing and industrial corridors from provisions of a law enacted by the previous Congress party government that mandated the consent of 80 percent of affected landowners for any deal. It also removed a clause that said land that was not used within five years of being acquired would be returned to farmers.