Gandhian thanks all parties except SP for passing Lokpal in both houses of Parliament
Social worker Anna Hazare called off his indefinite fast, that has entered the ninth day, on Wednesday after Lok Sabha passed the Lokpal Bill around 2 pm.
Hazare expressed the need for bringing the act before the code of conduct for the general elections comes into force.
Villagers and a large number of visitors celebrated the passage of bill by bursting firecrackers, raising slogans and dancing to the tune of dhol-tasha, other traditional instruments and a DJ playing music.
Hazare, Kiran Bedi, former Army chief VK Singh, Vishwambhar Choudhari, Ralegan Siddhi sarpanch Jaishingh Mapari, Anna’s trusted aide Datta Awari, former sarpanch Ganpatrao Auti, Suresh Pathare and Subhash Pathare were present on the dais.
Hazare broke the fast by accepting lemon juice from three small children from the village. Anna gave credit for his nine-day fast to Ralegan Siddhi villagers and the naturopathy specialist from New Delhi.
Anna thanked all the parties except Samajwadi Party for passing the Bill in both the houses of Parliament. He said that he was fighting for the Bill for past three years and expressed the confidence that the Bill would result in curbing corruption by at least 40 to 50 per cent.
He reminded that the Bill was pending before the Rajya Sabha for discussion for over one year. He said that the common man would be able to know the provisions of the Bill only when the law comes into effect after the president’s sign.
Hazare said that it was not only because of his fast but due to the determination of all those who supported his fast by launching fasts at various places in the country.
He thanked the doctors from Sassoon Hospital in Pune, Noble Hospital in Pune and Civil Hospital from Ahmednagar for monitoring his health round the clock. He said that it was because of an acharya from Delhi who had send one naturopathy expert who provided medical relief that increased his stamina and sustaining capacity.
Kiran Bedi told villagers said that the Lokpal was nothing but another Supreme Court which was dedicated to cases of corruption. She said that because of the select committee work, the Bill had become strong enough to get rid of corruption. Soon after the Bill was passed in the Lok Sabha, people started dancing in the pandal and Shahir Santosh Salunkhe and his team presented patriotic songs.
Dhol-tasha and lejhim troupe from Ralegan village performed their play while DJ music, which was much louder, was played for a short while on the demand of youngsters in the village. The celebrations went on for almost three hours.
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