The Freedom Park was the cynosure of all eyes on Thursday as Bangaloreans from all walks of life thronged the place to support Anna Hazare’s fast-unto-death in New Delhi. The silent campaign against corruption which entered its second day garnered massive support from public as IT professionals, founders of NGOs, and students gathered in large numbers to express their solidarity.
Four volunteers — Sumit, MK Gandhi, Anand Yadwad and Ashutosh — went on an indefinite fast as they sought effective laws to eliminate rampant corruption in the government. Several activists from civil society organisations demanded the passing of the Lokpal Bill by a committee that comprised 50% of officials and 50% of prominent members of civil society.
They claimed that the government officials made false promises about looking into the issue but have not taken any concrete initiative so far. They were also disappointed with the Freedom Park being allotted as the venue of protest as it did not have foot falls and would have instead preferred the Cubbon Park. The hunger protest also gathered widespread support in Mysore and adjoining areas.
“The charm of this campaign is that it is a mass movement and every protestor is a leader. It cuts across barriers of religion, language, and creed and brings everyone under one roof to fight for a common cause,” Prithvi Reddy, founder of SmartVote, said.
He also claimed that people from a remote village in Mysore had pitched in `5 each to sponsor the shamiana in the Freedom Park. The campaign also proved that age was no bar to protest against corruption as Kanaka Murthy, an 80-year-old resident of Malleswaram, went on a dawn-to-dusk fast on Wednesday.
The campaign is an initiative by India Against Corruption (IAC) to fight for the speedy implementation of the Lokpal Bill. The IAC in Bangalore is a joint initiative of SmartVote , Loksatta and the Art of Living Foundation.
