Anna’s magic failed to pull in the crowds; barely 5,000 people gathered to show their solidarity with Hazare in his fight against corruption.
Day 1 at the MMRDA ground in the Bandra-Kurla Complex on Tuesday was a flop.
Anna’s magic failed to pull in the crowds; barely 5,000 people gathered to show their solidarity with Hazare in his fight against corruption. As the night progressed and numbers dwindled at the ground, a doctor monitoring Hazare’s health announced that his blood pressure had shot up to 170/96 and his temperature to 102C.
Around nine in the night, Arvind Kejriwal, RTI activist and a key member of Team Anna, said colleagues had requested Hazare to break his fast because of his failing health, but the 74-year-old had resolutely refused to do so.
Team Anna had shifted the venue of the fast from Azad Maidan to the MMRDA ground as it had estimated that about 1,00,000 people would turn up. The crowd was thin since morning, but the organisers felt that people would join once Hazare reached the venue.
After paying tribute to Mahatma Gandhi’s statue at Juhu, Hazare reached the ground around 12.30pm.
But his presence made little difference — people trickled into the venue only occasionally. The exasperation of Team Anna became evident when some members asked people to “spread across” the ground. While some said the numbers were low because it was a weekday, others hoped attendance would go up in the evening after office hours.
Kiran Bedi, another key member of Team Anna, said that when they were on their way to the ground, people waved at them, expressing support for a strong Lokpal. “Though the crowd is thin, there is no reason to think that we have lost the support of the people,” she said.
Medha Patkar, who reached the venue at about 12.30pm, said every movement has its ups and downs. “Few people have turned up here, but there are hundreds watching the parliamentary proceedings on TV. They, too, want a strong Lokpal bill,” she said.
A press release from India Against Corruption (IAC) said 16,000 people had registered and about 30,000 had gathered at the venue at 4pm. DNA sent SMSes to Kejriwal and Mayank Gandhi, coordinator of the IAC, asking why the turnout was poor. Neither replied till late at night.
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