Anna Hazare on Tuesday faced a low turnout as he launched his three-day fast against a "weak" Lokpal Bill asking people to be ready for an 'aar paar ki ladai' (fight to finish) to stamp out corruption and ensure that "goondas" do not enter Parliament.
74-year-old Hazare, who sought to sidestep the appeal of his close aides to stop fast due to his health condition, said people will one day teach the government a lesson for the "betrayal" on the Lokpal issue.
In contrast to the impressive gathering at his three protests in Delhi earlier, the numbers were not up to expectations at the MMRDA ground.
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'We should be ready to go to jail'
Hazare repeated his threat to undertake a tour of five-poll bound states, including Uttar Pradesh, and said he will campaign against the government and do the same when general elections are announced.
"Humko thay karna hain, aar yaa paar? (We have to decide, this side or that side). Whatever we should do, we should do. We should be ready to go to jail," Hazare told his supporters after starting his fast at 12:30 pm.
Hazare, who is suffering from a viral infection, reached the venue after a two-and-a-half-hour long drive from the guest house where he was staying. In between, he also paid respects to Mahatma Gandhi at Juhu Beach.
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'I will campaign against the government in the 5 poll-bound states'
"Elections have been announced in five states. You and me have to decide whether this betrayal should continue. I will campaign against the government in the five states," he said.
Emphasising that Parliament should retain its dignity, he claimed that 150 MPs in the House were criminals and if there is a Right to Reject provision, they will not get entry into the "sacred temple of democracy".
"Today, goondas and criminals are entering politics... if we have Right to Reject, goondas will not enter this sacred temple (Parliament and Assemblies). We have to ensure that our lawmaking bodies remain sacred," he said.
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'I will tell people how the government cheated us'
The commencement of Hazare's fast came as Lok Sabha began a debate on Lokpal bill with government side and opposition sparring over the issue.
Terming his campaign as the second freedom struggle, Hazare said the fight for a strong Lokpal will not end today and one has to fight a long battle.
"You will not get the Lokpal Bill. You need to be ready for a long battle. The elections are coming in five states. After two and half years, the general elections will come. I will campaign against the government and tell people how they cheated us," he said.
Defending his tactics, he said one has to close the nose to make somebody open his mouth.
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'Many people are threatening us'
Hazare alleged that some people were threatening them not to go to the poll-bound states. However, he did not name them.
"We will go there. Many people are threatening us that they will do this, they will do that. What will they do?" he said.
Demanding more powers to gram sabhas, Hazare accused the government of forcefully acquiring farmers' land and resorting to lathicharge and opening fire when there is resistance.
"Farmers' land is being acquired without their permission. You don't have powers to acquire land using force. Without gram sabha's permission, you should not acquire land," he said.
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After Lokpal: Fight for Right to Reject
Hazare said that after ensuring the setting up of a strong Lokpal, the next fight will be for Right to Reject provision.
Crediting himself, Arvind Kejriwal and Kiran Bedi for the fight for RTI, he said because of this law, Suresh Kalmadi and A Raja, who are accused of corruption, are in jail.
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