By Raju Vernekar
Mumbai, Dec. 20:
An 11 member delegation of farmers, called on Social reformer Padma Bhushan Anna Hazare in Ralegan Siddhi in Ahmednagar district in Maharashtra and urged him to participate in the ongoing stir of farmers against three farm laws on Sunday.
The delegation comprising the farmers from Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and Bihar led by Prakash Srivastava and Deepak Sharma reached Ralegan Siddhi on Saturday night. It was planning to meet Hazare late Sunday afternoon to urge him to participate in the stir. Hazare’s office sources confirmed that Hazare agreed to meet the delegation.
The delegation told media that Hazare has participated in many social agitations but had not turned up in New Delhi where the farmers across the country are camping for the last several days. Hazare can extend his support even by addressing the farmers and briefly walking with the farmers. It seems that he is afraid of ruling party at the centre and we have come to wake him up from the “deep slumber”, the delegation said.
Kisan Baburao Hazare, popularly known as Anna Hazare, is a social activist who led movements to promote rural development, increase government transparency, and investigate and punish corruption in public life.
He had started a hunger strike in 5 April 2011 to exert pressure on the Union government to enact a stringent anti-corruption law, the Lokpal Bill, for the institution of an ombudsman, with the power to deal with corruption in public places. The fast led to nationwide protests in support. The fast ended after the government accepted his demands and issued a gazette notification on the formation of a joint committee, consisting of government and civil society representatives, to draft the legislation. Subsequently the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013 was passed.
