Hazare breaks fast, calls off jail bharo agitation

Mumbai, December 28: In a sudden climb down, Anna Hazare on Wednesday made a surprise announcement of calling off his campaign to fill jails from Friday and ended his fast.
No reasons were given by the 74-year-old activist for the abrupt decisions but apparently it was the poor public response to the three-day fast which he had began here yesterday and to have a parallel fast by his team in Delhi that weighed heavily on his mind.
He was also unwell and was earlier urged by his doctors to give up the fast.
Mr. Hazare ended his fast by sipping a glass of juice given by a girl from Ralegan Siddhi, Hazare's village. Mr. Hazare offered juice to his team members Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia and Mayank Gandhi
Mr. Hazare did not make any reference to the earlier plans of coming to Delhi for a dharna of the residence of Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi and about the jail bharo agitation (filling up of jails) after that.
"...Whatever we are seeing today in Parliament is tragic. So I have decided to call off the fast today. There is only one way now. We will make a programme in the five states and go and awaken people there. I will tell them don't vote for traitors," he told a sparsely attended protest meeting in the afternoon.
"Now two years are left for the general elections. In between, I will go to various parts of the country and keep awakening the people till next general elections," he said.
The ending of the fast by Mr. Hazare, who was having fever of 100 degree F, came after doctors advised him to call off his protest saying continuing it will lead to kidney failure.
Mr. Hazare said he was already fasting four days before the start of the protest strike on Tuesday here.
Jail bharo called off
Team Anna member Arvind Kejriwal said, "everything (all agitations) has been called off."
Mr. Hazare and Team Anna members faced a volley of uncomfortable questions about the poor crowd response for last two days and what is perceived as their attempt to target Congress and Sonia and Rahul Gandhi on the Lokpal issue.
After his announcement that he and his team will campaign against Congress in the five poll - bound states early next year and later in the general elections, he was asked whether Congress was sought to be made a villain and whether the strategy adopted by them was not wrong.
Mr. Hazare said they had no reasons to oppose other parties. (Agencies)


2011-12-27



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