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Srinagar, Dec 29: Accusing Anna Hazare of directing his agitation against the Congress, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah Thursday said he hoped the activist calls off his fast permanently.

“While fighting for the country’s independence, Mahatma Gandhi went on fast just five times while Anna Hazare has already done so thrice this year,” Abdullah told reporters in Bandipora district where he inaugurated a bridge across the Jhelum river connecting Ganderbal and Bandipora.



“Naturally, some fatigue and tiredness has resulted in his calling off the fast, which I hope is called off permanently,” Abdullah said.

“Anna Hazare must have realized that India is not Delhi alone,” the chief minister said.



He said the agitation was clearly directed against the Congress and more specifically against Congress president Sonia Gandhi and party general secretary Rahul Gandhi.



He also welcomed the recent statement of separatist leader and chairman of the moderate Hurriyat group Mirwaiz Umer Farooq about the paucity of electric power supply in the Kashmir Valley.



“I appeal to Mirwaiz Umer to issue a statement on the coming Friday, calling for a campaign against power pilferage. That would save the state Rs.2,000 crore a year,” the chief minister said.

New Delhi, Dec 28: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said Wednesday it was time for people with divergent views to take note of parliament’s verdict on the Lokpal bill. Asserting that legislation is the privilege of the parliament, he hoped the Rayja Sabha would pass the bill Thursday.

“When parliament has spoken, it’s time for others to take note,” Manmohan Singh said while responding to questions at a joint press conference with visiting Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda.

“We hope that those with divergent views will respect the verdict of the parliament,” the prime minister added.

“Legislation is the privilege of the Indian parliament. That’s what the constitution lays down,” he said.

“The Lok Sabha has passed a Lokpal bill with a substantial majority. The bill will be presented to the Rajya Sabha tomorrow (Thursday) and I hope it will be passed,” he added.

Mumbai, Dec 28: A day after the Lok Sabha passed a Lokpal bill he had trashed, an ailing Anna Hazare Wednesday called off his three-day fast a day earlier by sipping lemon juice. But he vowed to take on the Congress in all five states facing elections early next year.

After initially refusing to bow to appeals from doctors and associates, the 74-year-old announced his decision over 24 hours after he had launched his protest Tuesday at the MMRDA ground demanding a “strong Lokpal”.

Looking weak but sounding bitter, he also axed the proposed “Jail Bharo” campaign that was to start across the country Friday. Aide Arvind Kejriwal said Team Anna was not retreating and would review its strategy soon.

Hazare, who is running temperature, sipped lemon juice from a glass at about 6.40 p.m. to wild clapping and then passed the glass to Kejriwal and fellow activist Manish Sisodia who too were on fast.

A doctor told IANS that Hazare would spent the night at a rest house and probably leave for his village Ralegan-Siddhi Thursday morning.

“I have called off my fast but my fight against corruption will continue,” Hazare told the gathering here, speaking haltingly. He did not raise any slogans though — a departure from his routine.

Hazare’s announcement came after his Mumbai hunger strike failed to draw the huge crowds his 12-day August fast in Delhi had attracted, forcing the government then to virtually accept his key demands.

But the government backtracked, refusing to unveil Citizens’ Charter and bring the entire bureaucracy under the Lokpal’s ambit.

Looking grave on the stage Wednesday afternoon, Hazare accused the Congress-led government of “betraying” the country by passing what he said was “an ineffective Lokpal”.

He said he will tour Goa, Manipur, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand to campaign against those who did not vote for his “Jan Lokpal bill”.

“This is the only way forward after seeing what happened in parliament yesterday,” he said, referring to the overnight passage of the Lokpal bill in the Lok Sabha.

“Maybe it will take 10 to 15 to 20 years for us to succeed,” he added.

He was to have fasted from Tuesday to Thursday. But after he developed viral fever, doctors urged him to end it without much delay, warning that his rising blood pressure could cause kidney failure.

Later, as reporters began asking questions, Hazare walked out of the stage. But Kejriwal took over, replying to a volley of questions including those that sought to question the Anna movement’s relevance.

“We are not retreating,” said Kejriwal, a former Indian Revenue Service officer who has emerged as the best known face of Team Anna. “We are going to intensify our agitation.”

He clarified that Team Anna was not against the Congress and the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) per se but the Congress was the guilty party as it was the driver behind Tuesday’s Lokpal bill.

That bill, he said, was meant to protect the corrupt and not to kill corruption.

In Delhi, his colleague Prashant Bushan said the debate over the lack of constitutional status to the Lokpal did not matter since the bill that the Lok Sabha passed was “a toothless and useless institution”.

Hazare supporters were happy — and disappointed too.

“All of Anna’s efforts seem to be going down the drain. He has been fighting for a strong Lokpal for years. But I am glad he decided to call off his fast. He badly needs rest,” said Usha Sharma, who too has been fasting alongside Hazare since April.

Doctors earlier urged Hazare to immediately end his fast. They warned that his blood urea nitrogen and cretanine levels had risen and the sodium levels had fallen. He had 100 degrees temperature in the day.

Wednesday’s premature end to the hunger strike capped an emotive campaign that began in April when Hazare fasted for five days in Delhi, forcing the government to talk to his team over a proposed Lokpal.

He again fasted for 12 days in August and for a day this month, becoming a household name across the country.

New Delhi, Dec 28: Anna Hazare’s absence and the chilly weather were behind the failure to attract crowds during Team Anna’s protest at the Ramlila ground here, supporters of the anti-corruption crusader said Wednesday.

As Team Anna’s protest entered its second day here Wednesday, the crowds continued to remain thin as key members Shanti Bhushan, Prashant Bhushan and Kiran Bedi addressed the gathering.

According to the police, around 1,500 people were present at the Ramlila ground here which in no way matched the tens of thousands who thronged the venue when Hazare fasted here in August.

A slight increase in the crowd was seen after Bedi arrived at the ground.

Team Anna supporters agreed that the scenario would have been different if Hazare was present. “If Anna had been present at the Ramlila Maidan, then the crowds would be much more,” S.K. Tyagi, and advocate and resident of Yamuna Park who was at the venue, told IANS.

Researcher and author Satish Solanki said: “The absence of a mass leader has deeply influenced the protest here. Delhiites would be more happy if the anti-corruption crusader had observed his fast here.”

Gaurav Mishra of Asmita Theater Group said the change of venue of Hazare’s protest was a major cause for the thinner crowd at Ramlila Maidan. “People are not aware about the protest organised here. However, through our ‘Nukkad Natak’ we are creating awareness among people.”

Mishra with his group are working to create awareness among people about the Lokpal through short dramas.

However, Vikrant, a volunteer said the cold weather had also prevented people from joining Team Anna’s protest here.

Dushyant Kumar, a 78-year-old supporter who claimed to be a retired Army officer, said that though many people are not physically present here, “they are supporting the movement by participating in it by watching TV at their homes”.

Those gathered at the venue criticised the government’s Lokpal bill that was passed by the Lok Sabha Tuesday.

“The Lokpal bill is weak and it would not be very effective in controlling corruption,” said Ganesh Datta, a computer operator who had come to the venue along with his colleague.

The fewer crowds at the Ramlila ground also hit the local vendors, painters and other hawkers who were expecting good business like during the August fast that saw tens of thousands visiting the venue.

“Compared to the August agitation, the December protest has not been very fruitful. We are hardly earning any money this time,” said Javed, a painter, adding that locals were missing the presence of Hazare here.

Recalling the last protest, Sikander, a hawker, told IANS that this time the protest has not yielded mucg profit. “Last time, people arrived loaded in trucks and other vehicles. They were buying tri-colors, Gandhi topis printed with ‘I am Anna’, printed Anna T-shirts and other products.”

The thin crowds notwithstanding, the supporters assembled at the ground were shouting in one voice: “We want Lokpal demanded by Anna Hazare without any amendment.”

Supporters holding the Indian flag and shouting slogans of “Vande Mataram” and “Inquilab zindabad” were seen watching live footage of Hazare’s fast at Mumbai on a huge LCD TV screen.

Hazare, who is suffering from viral fever, called off his fast in the evening, a day ahead of schedule.

Srinagar, Dec 28: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah Wednesday wondered whether Team Anna will brand people in Mumbai “corrupt” for their measured response to Anna Hazare’s fast.

“So will Team Anna call all Mumbaikars corrupt, unpatriotic thieves for their measured reaction to the tamasha (or) is that just for politicians?” he posted on micro-blogging site Twitter.

Hazare called off his fast for a strong Lokpal bill Wednesday, cutting short his three-day protest by a day.

Mumbai, Dec 28: As activist Anna Hazare announced an end to his hunger strike Wednesday, thousands gathered at the MMRDA ground let out a scream of joy.

Stating they were glad Hazare had decided to call off his fast, many however expressed disappoinment with the Lokpal bill the Lok Sabha passed Tuesday night.

“All of Anna’s efforts seem to be going down the drain. He has been fighting for a strong Lokpal for years. But I am glad he decided to call off his fast. He badly needs rest,” said Usha Sharma, who too has been fasting alongside Hazare since April.

Hazare, hit by viral fever, said he was ending his three-day fast a day earlier Wednesday but vowed to keep fighting for a “strong Lokpal”.

“I fully agree that the Lokpal bill tabled in parliament is weak and will not curb corruption,” said Ashish Mehta, a businessman.

“But I feel that now that there is a so-called Lokpal bill, we need to strengthen it and get it amended to match with Jan Lokpal bill,” he added.

Mumbai resident Tehmul Irani said he fully backed Hazare’s ideas.

“Congress is a seasoned political party and it is difficult to beat them. They have been corrupt since the very beginning,” he said.

Sangeeta Shinde, a business management student, said she was all for Team Anna’s Jan Lokpal bill.

“The government’s bill has many loopholes,” she said. “But I will heave a sigh of relief once Anna breaks his fast.”

Chennai, Dec 28: The general mood of India Against Corruption (IAC) members here supporting Anna Hazare’s demand for a strong anti-graft law was of disappointment after the Lok Sabha passed the Lokpal Bill Tuesday night but they were determined to take their protest to the next level, said an activist Wednesday.

“We didn’t get what we expected. Now we have to see what is going to happen in the Rajya Sabha. We don’t want this bill to be passed,” C. Mohan, a civil engineer on fast here, told IANS.

“There is a sense of betrayal as well as renewed vigour to take the protest to the next level,” Banu Gomes, media coordinator for IAC, told IANS.

She said a total of 26 people are on fast and 200 on relay fast.

Around 400 people visited the fast venue Wednesday to express their solidarity with the IAC activists.

She said the condition of Chandra Mohan, a protester on fast who was hospitalised Tuesday, is stable now.

Refuting that the response to the protest was poor, Gomes said the venue for the fast was finalised Dec 26 and there was not much time to publicise the event.

“Despite that, the response is good with 400 people visiting the venue Wednesday,” she said.

Mumbai, Dec 28: Doctors Wednesday pleaded with Anna Hazare to end his three-day fast begun Tuesday, saying he was suffering from dehydration and could face kidney failure.

A team of doctors led by T.P. Lahane of J.J. Hospital said after examining the 74-year-old activist that he must call off his hunger strike.

“While lying his blood pressure reads 120/90, but while standing it is 105/70, indicating dryness and dehydration,” Lahane told reporters at the MMRDA ground, the protest venue.

Besides, his blood urea nitrogen and cretanine levels had risen and sodium levels had fallen. But his chest, throat and abdomen were clear, he said.

Hazare has 100 degrees temperature, a drop from Tuesday’s 102 degrees.

“We are clear he should not continue this fast as his kidneys are getting affected and could have adverse impact on his health in future,” Lahane said.

“We have also medically advised him not to undertake similar fasts in the future.”

But an adamant Hazare, who declared Monday that he was prepared to die for the cause of a strong Lokpal, continued his fast for the second day.

Although Hazare is on medication, his physician D.G. Pote ruled out the need to shift him to a hospital.

Pote said that Hazare had lost weight due to his illness, including a viral infection in recent days, followed by his hunger strike that started Tuesday morning.

After spending a “comfortable night”, doctors said, Hazare now weighed 70.5 kg, a loss of around 1.50 kg in five-six days.

“His pulse rate has come down to 72 from 96, and blood pressure is 152/90,” Pote said earlier in the day.

He said Hazare had been advised rest, refrain from exerting himself and speak less.

Manish Sisodia, a key member of Team Anna, said that Hazare’s health was a matter of serious concern and they had appealed to him to call off his hunger strike.

Hazare has not ventured out of a room near the stage since Tuesday evening.

Mumbai’s temperature, which touched a 10-year low of 11.4 degrees Celsius Tuesday, drove away many supporters in the night from the venue.

The sprawling MMRDA ground Wednesday wore a near deserted look with only security personnel, journalists and Team Anna activists present.

New Delhi, Dec 28: Close aide of anti-graft crusader, Anna Hazare, Kiran Bedi said the proposal for granting a constitutional status to Lokpal is a distraction and a diversionary tactic.

Bedi said this while interacting with mediapersons in New Delhi on Wednesday.

“During the mass agitation, was there a demand in any part of the country to make it constitutional? Constitutional status is given to that bill which is accepted and respected by you. We already knew that the constitutional status is a distraction and is a diversionary tactic. This is not possible and after this there is only blame game,” said Bedi.

She further stated that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) should be set free from the clutches of central government so that it is able to conduct probe in cases of corruption in a legitimate manner.

“The amendment stating that the administrative control of CBI should be shifted under government is an important amendment. And for this if opposition is combined then the Bill can be passed. This implies that Lok Sabha will pass one kind of Bill and Rajya Sabha will pass another kind of Bill and so, this country would be having two types of Bill. It head towards the joint session,” added Bedi.

She further asserted that the Bill would get wedged in Rajya Sabha just like the Women Reservation Bill.

It was Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi, who had first proposed to give the ombudsman constitutional status, at par with prestigious institutions such as the Election Commission.

The lower house of Parliament had passed the bill on Tuesday to create an anti-corruption ombudsman, in a move that government hopes would deflate Anna’s movement, who has tapped into widespread anger at corrupt public officials.

Protest leader Anna Hazare, 74, who began a three-day fast to coincide with the parliamentary debate, wants the ombudsman to have greater powers to investigate high ranking scammers. He says the protests will continue unless his demands are met.

New Delhi, Dec 28: As Team Anna’s protest in Delhi entered its second day here Wednesday, the crowds continued to remain thin while key members - Shanti Bhushan, Prashant Bhushan and Kiran Bedi - held a meeting at Ramlila Maidan.

According to police, around a thousand people were present at the Ramlila Maidan here which in no way matched the tens of thousands who thronged the venue when Anna Hazare fasted here in August.

Supporters holding the Indian flag and shouting slogans of “Vande Mataram” and “Inquilab zindabad” were seen watching live footage of Hazare’s fast at Mumbai on a huge LCD TV screen.

A number of daily labourers and homeless people too participated in the protest and partook of the hot breakfast of ‘poori’ and ’sabzi’ provided by ‘Anna ki Rasoi’.

The volunteers, however, stressed that the crowds will swell as the day progresses.