Anna Hazare Tuesday hit out the government over corruption, saying that the publics servants have made the public their servants, while his key aides Arvind Kejriwal and Gopal Rai asserted they would carry on their fast despite their deteriorating health.
“This is not a democracy where the public is treated as the servants of the ruling class. Our protest is an attempt at correcting the situation and establishing real democracy,” Hazare said at his agitation at the Jantar Mantar
Around a thousand people turned up at the site on day seven of the Team Anna agitation.
Earlier, Kejriwal and Rai rejected doctors’ advice of getting hospitalised.
“We are here to sacrifice our lives for our nation… not to get admitted in hospital. Doctors are asking us to get hospitalised but we want to tell them that we are still powerful enough to kick off the government. And if government will try to interrupt, it will have to pay,” said Kejriwal.
Kejriwal, Rai and Sisodia have been fasting since July 25 while Hazare joined them on Sunday. Along with them, 350 other supporters are also fasting for a stringent anti-graft Jan Lokpal bill and around 20 of them have been hospitalised till now.
Following the routine medical check-up of the four fasting leaders, doctors from Team Anna’s medical team along with their colleagues from the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital said the two were not in good condition.
“Condition of Anna Hazare and Manish Sisodia is stable but Kejriwal and Rai should get hospitalised,” a doctor announced from the podium at Jantar Mantar.
Rai had been vomiting since Monday night and his pulse rate was very low while Kejriwal, who is diabetic, was also not keeping well.
Meanwhile, Hazare and his team also apologised to the media for the scuffle late Monday night, asking their supporters to stay away from violence. Hazare also warned that he would stop the protest if people continued to misbehave.
“I apologise to the media on behalf of people who have misbehaved with them. I appeal to people not to get involved in such acts, else I would have to stop this protest,” said the 75-year-old activist.
“I am pained by what happened Monday night. Our protest rests on non-violence and we don’t have to indulge in violence or abuse,” he added.
Kejriwal and Sisodia also tendered apologies, saying that the media had been a big supporter of their fight against corruption since it started 2011.
A fight broke out between Team Anna supporters and media persons around 10 p.m. Monday at Jantar Mantar with protestors alleging that the media was not projecting their movement in the right light.
The Broadcast Editors’ Association (BEA) condemned the incident and demanded an apology from Team Anna.