No Monday morning blues for Team Anna
31 July 2012 2:39 PM IST
After a good show over the weekend, the crowd did not disappoint Anna Hazare even on Monday, a working day. The support of the masses who turned up at Jantar Mantar where the anti-graft crusader is on a fast, prompted Anna to warn the government to either bring in a strong Lokpal Bill or to quit. 'A wave of protest is building up. The way this wave of protest against corruption is building in the country, I have a feeling that the government would have to bring a strong Lokpal Bill or else it will have to go,' Anna said on Monday.
The turnout at the fast venue remained impressive throughout the day, barring early in the morning because of the delay in starting Metro services owing to the power problem in the Northern Grid. By noon however, the crowd had started coming in.
Anna's fast entered its second day on Monday while his aides – Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodiya and Gopal Rai are on the sixth day of their fast.
Buoyed by the crowd, Team Anna said that the government will have to send a messenger to Anna if it wanted to resolve the issue.
Asked whether government has opened any channel of communication, Team Anna member Kiran Bedi answered in the negative. 'Dialogue with whom? Whom should we trust? Why don't they (government) come? They should send a messenger to Anna if they want to talk,' she said.
Meanwhile, on Monday, Team Anna members softened their stance on the issue of yoga guru Ramdev's sharing the dais with Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi. Team Anna member Kumar Vishwas said that the yoga guru was free to meet whoever he wanted to. He said, 'Anna and Baba Ramdev are together in the fight against corruption. Modi is the Chief Minister of a state.He is free to meet who he likes. Swami Ramdev has the right to meet who he wants.'
Kiran Bedi also reiterated that Ramdev was free to meet whom he wanted to, but that both of them were fighting for the same cause. On Modi, she said 'let courts take a decision'.
Earlier Arvind Kejriwal had tweeted, 'This time its do or die. Dedicate this week for the country. Take off from your work and college. Take to the streets. Just one week.' He had added, 'Pray for a corruption free India. I am very, very confident that the time for India has arrived. The Future belongs to India. And it will happen soon.'
On the power grid failure, Kumar Vishwas, who is conducting the proceedings along with another activist Sanjay Singh at the fast venue, said that the government can do anything but people will come out and join the Hazare movement. 'The Government can cut the grid, cut electricity, cut metro services, bus, auto services. But people will join Anna Hazare's movement,’ he said.
Anna and Manish Sisodia clarified stand on Salman Khurshid and Narayansamy’s statement that Anna had ‘secretly reached an agreement with him and took a U turn due to Arvind Kejriwal’s interference’.
Strongly condemning the statements as a bunch of lies, they openly challenged the ministers to hold an open debate with them in front of TV and media.
60 PROTESTERS HELD OUTSIDE PAWAR’S HOUSE
A group of 60 supporters of anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare reached outside union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar's house and staged a protest on Monday, despite the Delhi police having issued an advisory to Team Anna on Sunday asking supporters not to protest outside ministers' houses.
The protesters reached Pawar's official residence, 6 Janpath, at around 2.15 pm and started shouting anti-government slogans. Carrying placards and the national flag and sporting symbolic Anna caps the protesters demanded for a strong Lokpal Bill. When the police came to know about the protest, they swung into action and both the reserve battalion force and local police officials rushed to the spot.
The protesters, who were trying to enter the residence premises, were pulled down from the boundary wall and prevented from entering the minister’s house. The group was brought to the Tughlaq Road police station, where they were detained for some time. 'The group of demonstrators at 6 Janpath comprise of 60 protesters, including 11 women agitators,' a police officer said.
Team Anna members however have denied that any of their supporters had organised the protest outside Pawar’s residence. Â
The turnout at the fast venue remained impressive throughout the day, barring early in the morning because of the delay in starting Metro services owing to the power problem in the Northern Grid. By noon however, the crowd had started coming in.
Anna's fast entered its second day on Monday while his aides – Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodiya and Gopal Rai are on the sixth day of their fast.
Buoyed by the crowd, Team Anna said that the government will have to send a messenger to Anna if it wanted to resolve the issue.
Asked whether government has opened any channel of communication, Team Anna member Kiran Bedi answered in the negative. 'Dialogue with whom? Whom should we trust? Why don't they (government) come? They should send a messenger to Anna if they want to talk,' she said.
Meanwhile, on Monday, Team Anna members softened their stance on the issue of yoga guru Ramdev's sharing the dais with Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi. Team Anna member Kumar Vishwas said that the yoga guru was free to meet whoever he wanted to. He said, 'Anna and Baba Ramdev are together in the fight against corruption. Modi is the Chief Minister of a state.He is free to meet who he likes. Swami Ramdev has the right to meet who he wants.'
Kiran Bedi also reiterated that Ramdev was free to meet whom he wanted to, but that both of them were fighting for the same cause. On Modi, she said 'let courts take a decision'.
Earlier Arvind Kejriwal had tweeted, 'This time its do or die. Dedicate this week for the country. Take off from your work and college. Take to the streets. Just one week.' He had added, 'Pray for a corruption free India. I am very, very confident that the time for India has arrived. The Future belongs to India. And it will happen soon.'
On the power grid failure, Kumar Vishwas, who is conducting the proceedings along with another activist Sanjay Singh at the fast venue, said that the government can do anything but people will come out and join the Hazare movement. 'The Government can cut the grid, cut electricity, cut metro services, bus, auto services. But people will join Anna Hazare's movement,’ he said.
Anna and Manish Sisodia clarified stand on Salman Khurshid and Narayansamy’s statement that Anna had ‘secretly reached an agreement with him and took a U turn due to Arvind Kejriwal’s interference’.
Strongly condemning the statements as a bunch of lies, they openly challenged the ministers to hold an open debate with them in front of TV and media.
60 PROTESTERS HELD OUTSIDE PAWAR’S HOUSE
A group of 60 supporters of anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare reached outside union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar's house and staged a protest on Monday, despite the Delhi police having issued an advisory to Team Anna on Sunday asking supporters not to protest outside ministers' houses.
The protesters reached Pawar's official residence, 6 Janpath, at around 2.15 pm and started shouting anti-government slogans. Carrying placards and the national flag and sporting symbolic Anna caps the protesters demanded for a strong Lokpal Bill. When the police came to know about the protest, they swung into action and both the reserve battalion force and local police officials rushed to the spot.
The protesters, who were trying to enter the residence premises, were pulled down from the boundary wall and prevented from entering the minister’s house. The group was brought to the Tughlaq Road police station, where they were detained for some time. 'The group of demonstrators at 6 Janpath comprise of 60 protesters, including 11 women agitators,' a police officer said.
Team Anna members however have denied that any of their supporters had organised the protest outside Pawar’s residence. Â
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