Fight against graft far from over, says Anna Hazare

Veteran Gandhian Anna Hazare on Sunday declared that he would take rest in his village, Ralegan Siddhi, for a month. He was addressing the media here after his discharge from Sancheti Hospital, where he was recuperating for the past 10 days.

Hazare said, “Once I recover from my bout of sickness, I will think about the next phase of the movement for a strong anti-corruption law; but at this moment I will be returning to Ralegan Siddhi for some rest.”

On allegations of corruption levied against his team member, Shanti Bhushan, Hazare refused to comment, saying he was out of touch with the happenings for the last 10 days.

He said the fight against corruption was far from over. “I have been fighting for the last 25 years and will continue to do so in the near future. However, at this juncture because of my ill health, I need to recuperate,” he said.

Although Hazare made it clear he would not be campaigning in the five states going to the polls in the next two months, doctors attending on him want him to go into seclusion for “complete recovery”.

Pradeep Munot, a close associate of Hazare, told DNA that the team of doctors has strongly advised a month’s rest in “natural surroundings”.

“As many people visit Ralegan Siddhi, Anna has been advised to go to an undisclosed location for rest. But whether or not Anna heeds this request is a million dollar question,” he said.