Anna Hazare's agitation for the creation of a Lokpal in 2011 saw Arvind Kejriwal and Kiran Bedi emerge as his trusted lieutenants. If the agitation shook the foundations of the UPA government, it also laid the foundations for these two lieutenants to enter politics in very different ways.
Over the years, Hazare has been lukewarm to Kejriwal's politics as the latter founded the Aam Aadmi Party and became the Delhi chief minister. However, on Tuesday, he announced in Delhi that he hoped no Kejriwal would emerge from his movement again. He declared that he would organise a mass rally in Delhi on March 23 next year and called on farmers to join him.
He said both the Congress and BJP governments had failed to act on the Jan Lokpal Bill. He claimed that 70 years after independence, democracy was yet to come to India in a 'true sense.'
He said, "We do not want a government of capitalists. No Modi, no Rahul (Gandhi). We want a government which works for farmers' interests."
(with agency inputs)
