New Delhi: Team Anna’s fast entered second day on Thursday with less people present at the venue, Jantar Mantar, and key team member Arvind Kejriwal leaving to attend a court hearing for his ‘derogatory’ remarks against Parliamentarians.
Kejriwal and other Team Anna members Manish Sisodia and Gopal Rai had started an indefinite fast on Wednesday.
Besides a strong Jan Lokpal, Team Anna has been demanding setting up of a special investigation team to probe corruption allegations against 15 union ministers, including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, setting up of a fast track court to try criminal cases against MPs and a SIT to look into allegations against party chiefs.
However, social activist Anna Hazare said he would sit on fast on July 29.
There was a less attendence of the people at Jantar Mantar on Thursday. A member of India Against Corruption said the people will come out in a large number when Hazare sits on the fast from Sunday.
The response to the fast on the first day was also modest with about 5,000 people attending the agitation.
Kejriwal left for Bulandshahr in Uttar Pradesh to attend a court hearing on his remarks against MPs calling them “criminals and rapists”.
“I don’t think that I have done anything wrong. If speaking the truth is against the country then I am ready to face the consequences,” the RTI activist said before leaving for the court.
He alleged that both the Congress and BJP do not want to pass a strong Lokpal Bill.
On Wednesday, Team Anna started their fast with attacking new President Pranab Mukherjee, who was figured in the list of 15 ministers the team has accused of corruption.
Team Anna had levelled corruption charges against Dr Singh and demanded a special team of retired Supreme Court judges be constituted to probe the charges.
The photographs of the Cabinet ministers were prominently displayed on the main stage at the fast venue.
Mukherjee’s photo was covered with a piece of cloth leading many to believe that Team Anna had decided not to discuss charges against the former Finance Minister.
But Kejriwal explained that the cloth signified the “veiling of corruption charges against Mr Mukherjee by the Congress-led UPA government”.
Kejriwal said if the Lokpal Bill had been passed in its original form, Mr Mukherjee would not have become the President.
But the government has alleged that Team Anna has been making baseless allegations.
Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office V Narayanasamy termed ‘baseless’ the allegations levelled by Team Anna that National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), Congress’ student organisation, activists had tried to disrupt their agitation.
The Minister said Hazare’s team was trying to divert the attention of the people by levelling such allegations.
Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni also slammed Team Anna, saying corruption charges against the Cabinet ministers were not acceptable.
Taking a dig at Team Anna, Union Law Minister Salman Khurshid said the activists should “write to the United Nations”.
He said the team wants an independent probe into matters which have been rejected and disapproved by the Supreme Court. (UNI)