Mumbai: A day after urging Prime Minister Narendra Modi to engage in dialogue with the protesting students,
Veteran social activist Anna Hazare observed a two-hour ‘maun andolan’ (silent protest) in Maharashtra’s Ahilyanagar on Thursday in support of the students’ demonstrations in New Delhi.
“Anna began his protest at 11 am and ended it at 1 pm,” his aide Datta Awari told PTI.
Hazare held the protest at the Mahatma Gandhi statue in Ahilyanagar before leaving for his village, Ralegan Siddhi.
On Wednesday, the social activist wrote to PM Narendra Modi, expressing his pain over the violence in the recent Jantar Mantar protests and urging the government to engage in dialogue with the students.
Without taking Education minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s name, Hazare said a minister’s resignation won’t weaken the government.
“If accountability is fixed and the resignation of a minister is taken, the government will not lose power. Rather, it will send a clear message to other ministers that if they do not discharge the responsibilities of their departments properly, they too will have to relinquish their posts. This will make the functioning of the government more accountable and effective,” the 89-year-old wrote.
Referring to the alleged police action against protesters on July 20 during the march to Parliament, Hazare said “”the news of violence and police action is extremely painful”. He added that the resentment of protesters should not be viewed “as a law and order problem, but as the agony and expectations of society.”
He urged the government to “listen to protesters patiently, create an atmosphere of trust, and find solutions through positive dialogue.”
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Hazare said, “The Prime Minister is the supreme leader. It’s important to send the people’s questions to him, so I sent it,” ANI reported.