Along with the rest of the country, Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad celebrated the victory of social activist Anna Hazare’s crusade against corruption on Saturday.
Along with the rest of the country, Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad celebrated the victory of social activist Anna Hazare’s crusade against corruption on Saturday. The main function was held outside the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) headquarters, which had witnessed various NGOs, organisations and citizens protesting and fasting in the past five days.
The social crusader, Anna Hazare, who was on an indefinite hunger strike at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi to press for the enactment of the anti-corruption bill for five days, ended his fast on Saturday by accepting lime water from a child.
Hazare’s agitation had caught the imagination of the nation, with many coming out on the streets in support. Pune had witnessed a mammoth candlelight rally on Friday evening, with 15,000 people walking from Balgandharva Chowk to Shaniwarwada.
An impromptu celebration was held on Saturday morning to coincide with Anna’s breaking his fast. Around 60 people, including prominent activists Vijay Kumbhar, Vivek Velankar, Sandeep Khardekar, KD Pawar and others, attended the event and sweets were distributed amongst the gathered crowd. With bursting firecrackers, gulal and pro-Hazare slogans renting the air, the upbeat mood of the city was quite evident.
Speaking on the occasion, Khardekar said, “This is the beginning of a great movement, but we need to be vigilant till the Jan Lokpal bill is passed by the government.” The activists urged people to shun corruption in all forms.
Meanwhile, employee unions, citizen groups, social organisations and residents of Pimpri-Chinchwad celebrated the day as ‘Lokutsav’. They gathered at Pimpri Chowk to celebrate the event distributing sweets and shouting the slogan ‘India wins again’.
Right to Information (RTI) activist and independent corporator, Maruti Bhapkar, told DNA, “Anna’s ‘Jan-andolan’ had created history. It showed the light to the young generation. The youth, literate citizens, often found isolated by the corrupt political election, joined the movement to support Anna. It was a victory of the common man.”
Shirur Yuva Pratishthan and Nakshtrache Den Kayvamunch had organised ‘Kavya Wachan’ based on ‘anti corruption movement’ to strengthen the Anna Hazare-led national anti-corruption movement. The programme was organised near Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar statue in Pimpri Chowk. Local literary artists took part in the event. The residents and especially youngsters burst firecrackers after Anna ended his fast and the government issued a gazette notification on joint committee to draft the Jan Lokpal bill.
Pimpri-based Kiran Suvarna Mitra Pariwar and Vallabhnagar Senior Citizen Club, who had conducted the signature campaign in Pimpri-Chinchwad to support Hazare’s strike, celebrated the event in Pimpri.
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