Opp leaders slam activist for an ineffective fast

Mumbai: A day after social activist Anna Hazare ended his six-day fast at Ramlila Maidan in Delhi after being assured of the appointment of a Lokpal at the Centre, he was attacked and criticism by the opposition in the state.

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) kept the fast saga on ‘low profile' and so Mr Hazare failed to generate momentum, sources alleged. But at the same time, he got nothing but assurances while ending the fast.

 The opposition parties have dubbed the assurances given by Union government allegedly as one more ‘jumla’ of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Mr Hazare ended his fast after Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, Union minister of state for agriculture Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Maharashtra’s irrigation minister and close confidant of the CM, Girish Mahajan met him in the national capital on Thursday.

Though Mr Hazare had announced this fast as ‘aar paar ki ladaai’ (a do or die battle), the protest was not that effective according to opposition parties.

“What did he get? The government gives assurance on every demand. Neither Lokpal nor anything for farmers got from this protest. It clearly means that BJP gave him nothing,” said Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) spokesperson Nawab Malik.

Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant even sarcastically commented on the venue of Mr Hazare's fast.

“Why did he sit for agitation at Delhi? He could have done it in Mumbai also as no minister from Delhi came to see him.”

The Congress spokesperson also said that the mere assurances to Mr Hazare are proof of BJP’s intentions about Lokpal as well as farmers' issues.

“This government will never take decision on Lokpal as there is the most corrupt government in New Delhi as well as in Mumbai.

They are even trying to make money from rat killings as well as tea which is being served at ministers bungalows,” said Mr Sawant.

BJP’s strategy to scotch stir

The BJP’s union leadership reportedly asked its Maharashtra unit to handle the agitation directly. According to sources, the Prime Minister Office’s minister Jitendra Singh was the point person from the Union government and Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis appointed his close confident Girish Mahajan as main negotiator with Mr Hazare. For six days, Mr Mahajan kept negotiating with Mr Hazare and core members of his team and kept Mr Fadnavis as well as Mr Singh updated on every issue. Putting Union ministers for negotiations with Mr Hazare could have made the story big. So strategically, the BJP asked its state level leadership to handle the issue. This move turned out to successful as the protest never managed to gather momentum nor did it get media focus like 2011.