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Anna Hazare sits on indefinite hunger strike for Lokpal

Anna's 2011 protest is widely credited to be one of the reasons for the lowest number of seats count in Lok Sabha for the Congress since Independence.

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Social activist Anna Hazare, with his new core team, has begun an indefinite hunger strike demanding anti-graft regulations in the Capital on Friday. The protest began at the iconic Ramlila Maidan where in 2011, Anna along with his former supporters Arvind Kejriwal, Kumar Vishwas, Manish Sisodia and others, had become one of the main reasons for the UPA's downfall in 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

Anna's 2011 protest is widely credited to be one of the reasons for the lowest number of seats count in Lok Sabha for the Congress since Independence. After seven years of that protest, 80-year-old Anna Hazare has begun his first hunger strike under the BJP's rule demanding the appointment of Jan Lokpal and also increasing the minimum support price (MSPs) for crops to two times their production costs.

Anna and his supporters have been demanding to implement the reforms suggested by the Swaminathan Commission report which would strengthen farmers throughout the nation. Hazare has also demanded to appoint a Lokpal in the centre and Lokayuktas in the states. While addressing the gathering at Ramlila Maidan, Anna accused the Union government of not appointing the Lokpal to investigate the cases of corruption, despite having a law in place.

However, this time around, Anna had to gather a new core team after Delhi chief minister Kejriwal and his associates formed the Aam Aadmi Party even after Hazare stood against the idea of entering into politics. Although several ministers of Maharastra government tried convincing Hazare, the later has refused to back out of the strike until Prime Minister Narendra Modi comes up with a concrete plan to empower the Lokpal.

Anna also accused the government of trying to stall his "satyagraha" protest in the Capital by cancelling the train carrying protesters and also deploying heavy police force at the Ramlila Maidan.

In 2011, Anna started a similar anti-corruption campaign and a 12-day hunger strike for a strong Jan Lokpal Bill which later proved to be the reason for the Congress's exit from power.

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