Hazare fast: people heckle, chase out politicos

New Delhi: Anna Hazare's followers have made it clear that political leaders are not welcomed to join the anti-corruption campaign launched by the veteran social activist and Gandhian. Hazare's supporters stopped two political leaders - Uma Bharti and Om Prakash Chautala - from entering the dharna venue at New Delhi's Janatar Mantar on Wednesday.
Both Uma Bharti and Chautala, who had come to meet Hazare, were heckled and forced to leave the area.
Hazare, who launched his fast-unto-death on Tuesday, has said that his agitation was non-political. He said that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has also launched an anti-corruption campaign, was taking advantage of the nationwide movement he had begun.
BJP leaders Maneka Gandhi, Prakash Javadekar and Janata Dal (United) chief chief Sharad Yadav had visited Hazare's protest site at Jantar Mantar on Tuesday. Yadav also sat on the dais with Hazare and offered his support for the Jan Lokpal Bill.
However, Hazare later said he would not allow any politician to sit with him on the dais.
Meanwhile, support for the anti-corruption crusader has been growing with the crowd at Janatar Mantar swelling to several thousands. Many social activists including Medha Patkar, Arvind Kejriwal and former IPS officer Kiran Bedi have lent their support to Hazare's hunger strike and anti-corruption campaign.
More than 150 people have joined Hazare’s fast-unto-death at the Jantar Mantar. Social activists and people in 400 cities all across India and foreign countries have come out in support of Hazare.
In Bhopal thousands of people signed on a postcard addressed to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and United Progressive Alliance Chairperson Sonia Gandhi demanding introduction of Lokpal Bill in Parliament. Social activists and people in Lucknow, led by Medha Patkar, have backed Hazare's crusade.
There have been massive protests in Maharashtra too with people coming out in support of Hazare in large numbers in Mumbai, Pune, Aurangabad, Nashik and several other cities.
In Hazare's Ralegan Siddhi village in Ahmednagar district, his supporters are on relay-fast in solidarity with the soldier-turned-crusader.
Participants of the Jayprakash Narayan movement in the 1970s will also observe a fast on Thursday in Ranchi in Hazare.
Pramod Mishra, co-convenor-cum-spokesman of the '74-Chetana Manch', a forum of the former activists of the JP movement, on Wednesday said some of the manch members would observe the fast at Shahid Chowk in Ranchi on Thursday in solidarity with Hazare and his anti-corruption crusade.
The 72-year-old Hazare is demanding enactment of a strict Lokpal Bill to give wider powers to the ombudsman.

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