Social activist Anna Hazare on Friday started an indefinite hunger strike to press for his demand to appoint a Lokpal at the Centre, nearly seven years after his anti-corruption movement caught the imagination of millions of Indians and shook the then United Progressive Alliance government.
He sat on hunger strike at the iconic Ramlila Maidan, the same venue of his protest in 2011.
However, this time, his target is expected to be the Narendra Modi-led government.
Hazare has been pressing for setting up of the Lokpal at the Centre and Lokayuktas in the states, besides implementation of the Swaminathan Commission report, which has suggested ways to address the agrarian distress.
On Thursday, he took a round of the Ramlila Maidan, where the organisers claimed that thousands of people will attend the protest.
The Delhi Traffic Police has issued an advisory warning to commuters to avoid taking routes towards Aruna Asaf Ali Road, Delhi Gate, Darya Ganj, New Delhi Railway Station, Ajmeri Gate, Paharganj, ITO, Rajghat, Minto Road, Vivekanand Marg, and JLN Marg.
Image: Anna Hazare had rocked the UPA government in 2011 when he went on an indefinite hunger strike at Ramlila Maidan, the same venue as his protest starting on Friday. Photograph: Ahmad Masood/Reuters