NEW DELHI: Tricolours, Anna caps and patriotic songs - the daylong protest for whistleblowers by
Anna Hazare at
Jantar Mantar had all its usual ingredients. The venue was almost full before the 74-year-old anti-corruption crusader emerged on the dais with his close aides at 11.15am, shouting 'Vande Mataram, Bharat Mata ki Jai and Inquilab Zindabad'.
In the morning, Hazare went to Rajghat with his supporters, including Justice Santosh Hegde, Shanti Bhushan, Arvind Kejriwal, Kiran Bedi and Manish Sisodia, before heading for Jantar Mantar.
By the evening, the venue had over 4,000 supporters but the character of this crowd was slightly different from those at his previous fasts - the participation of the upper middle class was lower while the major chunk of the crowd comprised core supporters from Delhi-NCR. A group from Rae Bareli, the Lok Sabha constituency of Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, had also come over.
For many, the Sunday protest also provided with the perfect opportunity for a family outing that was not only educational but also provided them with a chance to participate in a movement aimed at creating social change. "I am here with my son because I want him to see first hand how people are fighting for the rights of common people," said Nidhi Tiwari, a publisher who works in Delhi. With MCD elections round the corner, smaller parties like the Lok Satta Party (LSP) could be seen using the platform to garner support, claiming they were against corruption and supported Anna's cause.
Various groups and individuals that had already been protesting at Jantar Mantar for a variety of issues benefitted greatly from the extra publicity due to the high-profile protest. "We have been protesting at Jantar Mantar for almost a week now but this is the first time that people have come to us and asked us about why we are protesting. All the problems in the country are linked to corruption and, hence, we support Anna," said Ramesh Chaturvedi, a member of the Nyaypalika Arakshan Andolan.
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