17 Hazare supporters end fast at Azad Maidan

Mumbai, August 29, 2011(Tehelkanews)



Around 65 people began fast on Aug. 16, but slowly number came down to 17Seventeen Anna Hazare supporters ended their fast on the Azad Maidan here on Sunday."We had some mung water with sugar and pepper as per the Jain tradition. Now I am on my way home. I will rest for a couple of days to recuperate. People took good care of us. We were given acupressure and foot massage to relieve [the strain in the joints]. I was not worried about my health at all. We got so much energy from the people coming to Azad Maidan," cardiac surgeon Ratna Magotra told The Hindu over phone.

Around 65 people began a fast on August 16, but gradually the number came down to 17."I had requested the fasting youth to end their fast in the middle of the agitation and use their energies for mobilising people instead," Mayank Gandhi, coordinator, India Against Corruption (IAC) , told The Hindu.



The feeling of happiness was mixed with the realisation that it was a limited victory. "It\'s a victory in a way, but we have a long way to go. Ultimately, Parliament listened to people\'s voice. I sincerely hope the government has learnt its lessons though it made many mistakes. I hope there is no other occasion for us to go on a fast. The entire world has seen what the people want. All sections of society joined in. This is an India we all want to see. Politicians divide the people, but this movement united the country."



Seeing the breakthrough as "a preliminary victory," Ram Pratap Singh, who fasted for 13 days, said, "I am ready to fast again if the work is not done. The government should bring in a law, whereby we should be able to recall the elected representatives if they do not do the work of people. We knew the government was not going to give in so easily. However, I am happy that so many people turned up to show support in pouring rain and hot sun. I have come home now, but I am not tired."



Mr. Gandhi said while the occasion had brought cheer, it was time to revisit IAC\'s campaign strategies, which were instrumental in mobilising masses across the city. It was also a movement where people, including youth and women, participated in large numbers, cutting across religion, caste and class.



"There is great satisfaction that some of our strategies worked. There is need for a larger agitation. Today we will celebrate, but tomorrow we will go back to the drawing board. We will look at what was learnt from this agitation. In April, we had good response, but this time we did much better. We need to increase the response tenfold. This is a moral victory. Yesterday, the government listened to the people for the first time. But if they don\'t agree on the non-negotiable aspects, then there will be another andolan," he said.



Taking the "victory" with a pinch of salt, Praful Vora of the IAC said he was not happy, but "satisfied that we are going in the right direction." In organising the huge campaign, the biggest challenge, he felt, was the "apathy of people."



"Nearly 1.5 to 2 lakh people marched in Mumbai, which is the largest number we have [in recent times]. There was no untoward incident and the police praised us for that. But what\'s 2 lakh compared to one crore people in the city? Where are they hiding?



Bollywood and the television industry also came out in bits. The agitation got people to engage with the ruling class [Parliament]. Now will the government continue ahead or will they filibuster [remains to be seen]," Mr. Vora said. He said the IAC would continue to have its stage at the Azad Maidan. "We will engage with people. We want to tell the people to wake up and ask questions."


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