JOIN USAnna Hazare’s associates on Wednesday launched their hunger strike against corruption in the capital, but the protest drew a lacklustre crowd, with all the excitement provided by students affiliated to the Congress who scuffled with the volunteers at the venue.
As the three Team Anna members, including Arvind Kejriwal, began their on fast, Anna
Hazare, who will begin his fast after four days, declared: “This time it will be a fight to finish.”
Speakers from Team Anna reiterated their demand for setting up a special investigation team to probe allegations of corruption against 15 ministerial colleagues of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
They also demanded a fast track court to dispose of pending cases against MPs and called for a strong Lokpal Bill.
They did not spare newly sworn in president Pranab Mukherjee.
The team, however, covered with a thin cloth an image of Mukherjee that was among 15 pictures of leaders they had put up at the protest site. Mukherjee, as President, now enjoys immunity from investigation and prosecution.
Soon after Hazare and others arrived at Jantar Mantar from Rajghat, a group of 20 youths allegedly belonging to the Congress-affiliated National Students Union of India (NSUI) raised slogans against them, resulting in a minor scuffle between them and Team Anna supporters.
However, Minister of State in the PMO V Narayansamy and other leaders denied any involvement of the NSUI.
Later, lawyer Prashant Bhushan and Kejriwal released “evidence” of corruption charges against Mukherjee, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Home Minister P Chidambaram, Human Resources Development Minister Kapil Sibal and former minister Virbhadra Singh.