|
|
|
|
|
Anna leaves Tihar with ‘Bharat Mata ki jai’
Tricolours sell like hot cakes
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
MCD says ground ready,
but rain washes claim
People at Ramlila Maidan try to clear water from the ground on Friday. Tribune photo: Mukesh Aggarwal
Support from all walks of life
Placard written in blood
Thousands turn up to see Anna
Crowds roar as Bundela shoots his mouth off
|
|
Anna leaves Tihar with ‘Bharat Mata ki jai’
New Delhi, August 19 Standing on a podium outside the Tihar gate, Hazare said that India gained independence in 1947, but hungered for freedom. And therefore, a revolution to attain a nation that is free from corruption began on August 16. Hazare thanked thousands of his supporters, who had been present outside Tihar Jail and who had also helped fuel the campaign against corruption. "The revolution should continue and its spirit should never die," he said to his overzealous supporters. The fever in the crowd was apparent by the slogans: "Anna Hazare hum tumhare saath hain", "Ab toh sara desh hain Anna", while others wrote in paint: "I am Anna" all over their body. The massive crowd that barricaded the anti-corruption crusader waved aloft flags of the Indian tricolour. They had to be pushed aside to make way for Hazare and his entourage of Swami Agnivesh and Arvind Kejriwal, who mounted an open-air mini-truck that would lead the procession from the Tihar Jail gate to Mayapuri Chowk. Several flags of the Indian tricolour adorned the truck which also had loudspeakers. Hazare appealed to his supporters not to damage the public property or indulge in violence. His supporters had surrounded the truck that carried their idol and chanted anti-corruption and anti-government slogans. While addressing his supporters, Hazare was protected from the rain by a big umbrella. Large groups of supporters who were unconcerned about the wet weather thronged the streets, when the procession moved towards Mayapuri Chowk. They waved the Indian flag and followed their leader while some chose to catch the glimpse of Hazare standing under the Lajwanti flyover. The traffic policemen, agitated by the procession that had reached Mayapuri Chowk, desperately tried to clear the jammed roads. Hazare was then taken in a police van to the Gandhi Samadhi at Rajghat where he paid his respects to the Father of the Nation. From there, he and his entourage arrived at the Ramlila Maidan where they were greeted by thousands of people. The Maidan is the venue where Hazare would fast for the next 15 days. But, he also said that its duration could increase if the Jan Lokpal Bill is not tabled in Parliament.
|
|
Tricolours sell like hot cakes
New Delhi, August 19 A tricolour in plastic material was sold at Rs 5, band at Rs 20, sticker at Rs 15 and white Anna cap at Rs 20. A woman said that they had been on the ground since morning, but their business started only after Anna reached there. Kalawati said she had brought the flags from the wholesale market in Sadar Bazar. "Since this morning, I have sold one hundred flags, 20 stickers and 30 bands. Bands and stickers are purchased by college students and other youngsters while seniors like to carry flags," she said. Urmil, a 15-year-old girl who was also selling flags, said that the business is good though the policemen object. She said, "I have not seen so much enthusiasm in the people for purchasing tricolours on Independence Day. Today everybody wants to carry flags. I have sold more than one hundred flags. My mother, carrying about a thousand flags, is sitting across the road while I am selling here." Since Anna started his fast and was arrested, not only in the retail but in the the wholesale market also, the sale of flag has increased, she pointed out.
|
|
MCD says ground ready,
but rain washes claim
New Delhi, August 19 Protestors who were ticked off by the bad management said if the state of the maidan did not improve over the next couple of days, the number of supporters would definitely fall. The muggy weather after the rain added to the woes of the thousands of people, as with the crowd swelling constantly, the atmosphere at the maidan got suffocating. Except for one part of the maidan, where the podium for Hazare was erected, the rest of the ground was full of muddy puddles and rain water. To protect themselves, supporters moved close to the podium, but the rain had spoiled the carpets and tents there as well. The carpets laid soaked in water with rain drops trickling on people through the tent roof. "We can see that if hundreds of supporters are entering the stadium from one end, almost the same number is exiting from the other gate as they are finding it hard to even stand here. Women, children and senior citizens have no place to sit," said Sachin Bhasin, a protestor at the maidan. Sick and tired of the wet mud clinging on to their feet, some supporters started cleaning the carpeted area by collecting water in buckets. Nevertheless, the efforts did not yield much result as the problem was much bigger. "We had planed to camp here as we have no where else to go. But spending the night on this wet muddy land is not possible. I have my wife and mother along with me, I am really worried," said Mange Ram, who had come to the Maidan from Dadri in Uttar Pradesh. The only participants who seemed unaffected were schoolchildren who were seen skating in the muddy soil, having fun when everyone else was cribbing. Yesterday, Municipal Corporation of Delhi officials had expressed concerns about rain. Speaking to The Tribune, Deep Mathur, the spokesperson for the MCD had said, "We are aware of the situation and the MCD is working round the clock to make sure that it is better tomorrow. It is hard to counter nature, but still, we are ready with machinery and men." "We plan to suck the water out from places where the land has become marshy and wet. Next, we will put in fresh soil. And if the weather permits, once the land dries up, we will use road rollers. We are doing everything possible from our end," he said today. |
|
Support from all walks of life
New Delhi, August 19 Supporters, from almost all walks of life, kept pouring in through the day. There were doctors and IT professionals who had taken leave from work to contribute to the cause. Students from leading universities were present in heavy numbers along with their teachers who felt it was more important to be a part of the crusade than attend classes. Then there were elderly people who were excited by the upsurge of emotion that has shaken the nation and felt that such a thing had not happened since Gandhi and the Independence movement. Hazare's speech was brief and simple, but struck a chord with the common man. The Gandhian declared a second revolution, saying, "There was a revolution in 1942 led by Mahatama Gandhi and the British left India. But corruption did not go away, violence did not go away, looting did not go away. Now, it is time for another revolution. Don't let this torch of revolution die." Rita Gupta, a housewife, said, "I could not stay away from Anna's protest. I felt this was something that required my serious commitment. Corruption is widespread and is present in our society like cancer and cannot be ignored. The Jan Lokpal Bill is well thought out and will curb almost all the powers of the bureaucrats and politicians. If the Bill comes into force, they will think twice before taking bribe, which is so widespread in the political culture of this country. The Lokpal Bill deserves a fair hearing in Parliament and it is a necessity that it is passed." Anish Tiwari, a doctor who was present with a large group of his colleagues and family members, said, "We are here to support Anna Hazare's agitation. I think it is nothing short of a miracle that a man has stepped forward and taken up the battle against corruption. Society today is paralysed by corruption. In our country, every little work, from dealing with a policeman on the roads or getting a job, requires bribe. This system has to end and I am glad that Anna has stood up against it. The Lokpal Bill makes sense. It will act as a check on the highest authority in the government, which is very much needed. We desperately need police, judicial and administrative reforms and the Lokpal Bill is a necessary start in this direction." Anuradha Sehgal, a student who is completely swept away on the wave of emotion, said, "This is the beginning of a revolution and the return of dignity and self-respect for every Indian. Corruption has to go. It has no place in our society. I am in favour of the Lokpal Bill. It is very much needed and deserves a hearing and discussion in Parliament. We will not rest till the government passes the Lokpal Bill. Anahita Kapoor, a teacher, said, "We are here to express our solidarity with Anna's cause and express our concern about the virus of corruption that is afflicting our nation. I myself have suffered from corruption. When we first moved to Delhi from Pune and I applied for my daughter's admission to an elite school, I was refused admission despite the fact that my daughter had an excellent academic record. The school told us that we would only get admission if we made a donation of Rs 20,000. It took us a whole year to get my daughter admitted to another school. This is how terrible corruption is. The Lokpal Bill is a start in this direction and I support it." |
|
Placard written in blood
New Delhi, August 19 He said, "I will continue my fast till Anna is sitting here. God has given us Anna to check the government or powerful people for doing corruption. Last time when Baba Ramdev sat on dharna here, I came by feet as that time I was financially crunched, today I came by bus", he said. Main cause for inflation in the country is that public has been looted by politicians and bureaucrats. Why the government does not bring all of them under the ambit of the Jan Lokpal Bill?" He asked. Another attraction in the crowd was Manohar Anand, who was dressed like Mahatma Gandhi, carrying a heavy bag on his back showing that common man is being crushed under heavy weight of inflation. Jumping on top of a car he chanted slogan "Anna Hazare zindabad". Manohar said he had been fasting for three days and would continue till Anna was sitting here. Yet another attraction was two foreigners who were hearing the patriotic songs and speeches. People had gheraoed them while scribed asked a volley of questions. Though the foreigners had no knowledge of the Jan Lokpal Bill, they just came along with the crowd. |
|
Thousands turn up to see Anna
New Delhi, August 19 Hundreds of supporters, immersed in the frenzy, coming from far-flung areas, started assembling at the venue since seven in the morning even as Anna's team had announced his exit from Tihar Jail around 11am. Since morning, all arterial roads heading towards the maidan saw a long queue of people, carrying Tricolours and banners protesting the government's version of the Lokpal Bill. And by 9 am, the ground started seeing a constant influx of people. While on-and-off, members of Anna team lawyer Prashant Bhushan and IPS Kiran Bedi (retd) had taken up the dais invoking patriotic speeches to charge-up the supporters, the atmosphere was gradually building up with people gradually taking positions under the huge tent erected by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to welcome the anti-corruption crusader. As the news of Anna leaving Tihar came around 11.45 am, a feeling of hope and reaffirmed faith had gripped people, with many of them having come to Delhi to be a part of the history-in-making. Anna's prominence came resounding evident from the thunderous claps and supportive slogans - "Anna hum tumhare saath hain," (We are with you Anna) that added to the euphoria. Carrying a banner that read, "Anna's prominence would stand against government's arrogance", a bunch of first-year students, including Amit, Prakash and Abhishekh, from Shivaji College, Rajouri Garden, did their bit and shouted anti-government slogans. To them, all politicians should be jailed as they have robbed the country of its real Independence. "The government's bill is hogwash and in no way can the government alone be allowed to decide on the Lokpal draft," they said. Espousing the anti-corruption movement that the Ghandhian calls as "second revolution of freedom", Jagdev Singh from Patiala and Mewaram from Karnal said, "We'll be here until the movement goes on. Corruption is entrenched everywhere. Go to any government office for a work, no file moves from a desk without bribe. Everybody from top-to bottom is corrupt and the time has come for us to take a position at least for the next generation." People had also positioned themselves on the neighbouring roof-tops to catch a glimpse of Anna as he reached the ground, accompanied by hundreds of supporters, who formed a human-chain all through his momentous march from Tihar Jail to the ground. "This is a rare occasion when each one of us has got a chance to dedicate ourselves to the nation. Anna has taken up the cause and I have come to Delhi to support him and stand against the corrupt politicians. I stayed outside the Tihar complex for two days and today I'm here since morning," said Kartar Singh, who had come from Jhajjar, sidelining his farming activity.
|
|
Crowds roar as Bundela shoots his mouth off
New Delhi, August 19 He was explicitly told by Kejriwal not to name any person or party while putting across his point. But Bundela being what he is, called the leaders susron, considered to be an abuse in the Hindi heartland. And the word did not come out of his mouth once, but thrice in his speech of less than 10 minutes. While referring to the leaders of a national party, Bundela said, "Susron ko aisa marenge ki yaad karenge amma". Even Kejriwal could not help but blush while the crowd roared with laughter. Anna sprints in the rain
A stampede-like situation was witnessed at the Rajghat today when Anna went there to pay homage to the Father of the Nation. The culprit was the rain and as Anna suddenly broke into a sprint to reach his car, reporters and people ran along causing a near-stampede. When the crowd melted away, three police officials on duty found their shoes missing. Failing to find them, the three could be seen walking barefoot towards their car. Light fingers at it
Two friends from Rohini, one of them a government servant had only a few minutes of 'good' time at the Ramlila Maidan as only minutes after entering the ground, the MCD official realized that his wallet had been picked. And there on, it was all about finding the wallet and lodging the complaint since it contained his driving licence and identity card. When the cops on duty told them to go to Kamla Market police station across the road, the victim could not help and exclaimed, "Yaar aaye the maja lene, par ab lene ke dene pad gaye." |
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Classified Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
When Anna Hazare emerged from the gate number one of Tihar Jail at 11.45 am today, he electrified the crowd which felt happy with his release and swooned at his cry 'Bharat Mata ki jai'.
Even as thousands of people thronged the Ramlila Maidan today to support Anna Hazare's movement against corruption, dozens of women and children reached the ground to sell tricolours, bands, stickers and caps bearing the name of Anna. They did brisk business as a majority of youngsters were carrying tricolours in their hands.
A tricolour in plastic material was sold at Rs 5, band at Rs 20, sticker at Rs 15 and white Anna cap at Rs 20.
New Delhi, August 19
As Anna-wave grips the nation, the Ramlila Maidan witnessed a reckoning towards weaving out corruption entrenched in the country's system, but more than the larger cause, it was the Gandhian and the massive fan-following that has emerged over the recent past.
Hundreds of supporters, immersed in the frenzy, coming from far-flung areas, started assembling at the venue since seven in the morning even as Anna's team had announced his exit from Tihar Jail around 11am.
