New Delhi, Jun 8 : Civil rights activist Anna Hazare and his supporters today began a day-long hunger strike at Rajghat to protest the police crackdown on Baba Ramdev's supporters during their agitation against corruption here on Saturday night.
After paying floral tributes at Mahatma Gandhi's samadhi, the Gandhian leader reached the protest site at around 10.20 am to a thunderous applause from around a thousand supporters who assembled there amid a large police presence.
Hazare chanted “Vande Mataram”, “Bharat Mata ki Jai” and “Inqilab Zindabad”, prompting the crowd to echo him. Civil society activists like Shanti Bhushan, Kiran Bedi, Swami Agnivesh and Arvind Kejriwal joined the protest.
Kejriwal said that except Justice Santosh Hegde, all civil society members of the Lokpal Bill drafting panel will join the fast, which has been organised to protest the midnight crackdown on Ramdev's supporters that injured over 60 people.
With Delhi Police refusing permission for the day-long hunger strike at Jantar Mantar, Hazare had decided to shift the venue to Rajghat to avoid a confrontation.
Bedi told the gathering that this is the “second war of independence against corruption, extortion and bribery.”
“I called Anna ‘Gandhi' yesterday. It made some people very angry but large number of the people very happy. Why we have to sit here today? We didn't raise our voices against corruption earlier so we landed up here. We are not against politicians. We approached them, but they did not take up the struggle, so Anna had to take up the fight,” she said.
Earlier, before the protest started, Hazare said the government is trying to “scare” people off the protest. The organisers claimed action on Ramdev supporters has created a “fear psychosis” among the people.
Asked whether he will seek security for himself, Hazare said he will never do so and he is not afraid of death. “Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, Sukhdev never asked for security. If they would have done, our country would not be free,” he said.
“The protest against injustice is not wrong. It leads to a successful democracy. If in such a situation you try to disrupt it, that's not right,” he said.
Later addressing the satyagrahis, Hazare described June 4 midnight police action on Swami Ramdev's supporters as a "blot on humanity". This is an action to gag democracy, the Gandhian said.
'In a democracy, every body has the right to stage protest. I want to ask the goernment, did the satyagrahis at Ramlila Maidan cause loss to national property or cause inconvenience to common people?', Hazare asked.
The agitation that began at Jantar Mantar on April 5, Hazare said, has to be spread to every nook and corner of the country, he said. Hazare however cautioned his followers to practise non-violence.
'I have caused the fall of wickets of six cabinet ministers. I made more than 400 corrupt officials to cool their heels at home. This could not have been possible through violence. Had I been violent, government would have broken my agitation', Hazare said.
Large presence of police personnel somewhat dented the enthusiasm of the protestors. Heavy barricading and police deployment prompted some of them to discuss conspiracy theories about the government plotting to thwart their plans.
Organisers claimed they got several calls from people asking whether police will take action. A senior police official said they have taken adequate security measures but did not “harass” anyone.
People who came to Rajghat were outraged over the crackdown on the Ramdev congregation. “That action was shameful. One should protest. I have left my house and business to join this agitation. If you don't have other means to raise your voice, the only option left is to hit the streets,” said B S Negi, a retired Assam Rifles personnel who came to Delhi on June 3 for the Ramdev protest.
A number of supporters of Ramdev joined in the protest, including Swami Santoshanand, who shared dais with the yoga guru at Ramlila on June 4.
Gandhi lookalikes, tricolour-waving youths and volunteers wearing Gandhi caps added colour to the agitation. Anti-corruption T-shirts worth Rs 150 recorded brisk sale.
The protest will be accompanied by an all-religion prayer meeting and a debate on Lokpal Bill. PTI
