Anna starts hunger strike in support of his 5 point demands. Says PM has’nt responded to his single letter out of 43 sent to him

After paying his respectful tributes at Gandhi Samaadhi internationally popular crusader against corruption who made history by knocking the wicket of several Maharashtra ministers involved in corruption and creating mass awakening nationally against this dreaded menace has formally started his fast at historic Ramlila Ground in support of his five point demands.

People who said that Anna is no more a force to reckon with are badly mistaken as Ram Lila ground where Anna’s rally is in the offing is jampacked, full of myriad number of supporters having filled a two page commitment letter not to be the part of any political party and not to contest election ever, apart from standing committed to several preconditions of integrity and transparency in public life.

There is a question as to why Anna Hazaare was compelled to undertake this fast and what eas the need to reopen the chatper of massive struggle alongwith thousands of the nationwide supporters after 2011 when Congress was in power at the centre and the entire BJP rank and file including the RSS was supporting him to create a wave of corrption against Congress allegedly involved in several scams.

Anna says he’d written more than 43 letters to the prime minister Narendra Modi and his government on various significant issues such as establishing lok pal at the centre as well as in all the states of the country compounded with problems of farmers. But he had received not a single acknowledgement not to speak of fulfilling my demands. The government led by prime minister Narendra Modi is apprehensive of his entire cabinet coming under the purview of Jan Lok Pal and hence is exhibiting complete disinterest and complacense in implementing it despite his repeayed pre election promises.

Anna Hazare had been to the Garhwal Himalayas few days ago and had held two rallies in Srinagar, Garhwal appealing the government to implement its pre election promise of Lok Pak.

The five major demands on which the crusader against corruption Anna Hazare has undertaken the indefinite fast at Ramleela Maidaan are: (1) Written 43 letters to the prime minister but haven’t received a single reply which unambiguously speaks of the fact that the govt is least interested or concerned to resolve the issues of Lok Pal and the prevailing agrarian crisis. (2) Demand for introducing a peasent bill in parliament and subsequently passing it by voice vote for providing the minimum life long pension of Rs 5000 for poor and hapless peasents after 60 years of age. (3) Fixation of maximum support prize for the farmers of the country reeling under acute financial crisis. (4) Complete autonomy to the Central Agricultural Price fixation Commission so as to enable it fixing maximum prise for 23 crops. Currently CPFC is being controoled by the union government and the govt reduces the prices of crops fixed by respective states to the tune of 30 to 35%. (5) Immediate implementation of the Swaminathan Commision Report to resolve the impending agrarian crisis in the country and initiation of poll reforms.

It may be recalled that in 2011 when Congress was in power at the centre Anna’s movement was backed by Kiran Bedi, Arvind Kejrival, Kumar Vishwas, Ram Dev, the BJP and RSS rank and file but this time its devoid of everyone of them as Arvind Kejrival is the Delhi chief minister, Kiran Bedi the Lt governor of the island union territory, Ram Dev having become the huge businessman busy in selling Patajali products worldwide minting gigantic profits and Kumar Vishwas, psephologist Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan busy in politics.
SUNIL NEGI