A day after urging Prime Minister Narendra Modi to engage in dialogue with the protesting students, social activist Anna Hazare on Thursday observed a two-hour silent protest (maun andolan) in Maharashtra’s Ahilyanagar in support of the demonstrations in New Delhi.
“Anna began his protest at 11 am and ended it at 1 pm,” the social activist’s aide Datta Awari told news agency PTI.
Hazare held the protest at the Mahatma Gandhi statue in Ahilyanagar before leaving for his village, Ralegan Siddhi, located in the same district. Follow CJP protest LIVE updates
Hazare’s letter to PM Modi
The social activist on Wednesday wrote to PM Modi, urging the government to listen to the protesting students. Without naming education minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Hazare said a minister’s resignation would not weaken the government but would send a strong message to other ministers about accountability.
“If accountability is fixed and the resignation of a minister is taken, the government will not lose power. Rather, it will send a clear message to other ministers that if they do not discharge the responsibilities of their departments properly, they too will have to relinquish their posts. This will make the functioning of the government more accountable and effective,” he wrote, according to PTI.
Referring to the alleged police action against protesters, Hazare said “the news of… violence and police action… is extremely painful”, adding that the resentment of the protesters should not be viewed “as a law and order problem, but as the agony and expectations of society”.
He urged the government to “listen to (the protesters) patiently, create an atmosphere of trust, and find solutions through positive dialogue”.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Hazare said, “The Prime Minister is the supreme leader. It’s important to send the people’s questions to him, so I sent it,” ANI reported.
CJP protests continue
Hazare’s remarks come amid nationwide demonstrations in support of the Cockroach Janta Party’s movement. The party is demanding three things from the government: the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the alleged NEET-UG irregularities, ₹1 crore compensation for students who died by suicide, and no prosecution of peaceful protesters.
Earlier, the party’s third demand had been the release of climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, who it alleged was illegally detained by the police after being shifted from the Jantar Mantar protest site to Safdarjung Hospital while on a hunger strike.
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Wangchuk was later shifted to Medanta Hospital after the Delhi High Court allowed his wife’s plea seeking his transfer to a hospital of the family’s choice.
Following the CJP’s ‘Sansad Chalo’ march on July 20, hundreds of protesters continue to gather at Jantar Mantar to press for Pradhan’s resignation and the party’s other demands. The protest on Wednesday witnessed clashes, with police using force, including a lathi charge and tear gas shelling.
Protests are being held across the country, with several political leaders, actors and public figures expressing support for the CJP’s demands.
(With inputs from PTI)
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