Author: Times News Network
Publication: The Times of India
Date: August 22, 2011
Introduction: Millions Answer Activist's Call,
Picket MPs' Homes To Demand Strong Lokpal
As Anna's army swelled across the country,
the political class may have got a sense of things to come when people picketed
their homes on Sunday. Heeding Anna's call that they should protest before
their MPs, crowds turned out everywhere, from Delhi to Lucknow, and from Chandigarh
and Ahmedabad to Nagpur and Ghaziabad.
More than 40 people squatted near PM Manmohan
Singh's official residence and bellowed slogans supporting Anna Hazare before
police bundled them off. Homes of Congress MPs Pawan Kumar Bansal in Chandigarh
and Manish Tiwari in Ludhiana were picketed. Said Jaskirat Singh, an IT professional
and member of Association for Democratic Reforms, "Manish Tiwari is our
MP but he doesn't care about our feelings. His remarks against Anna have hurt
the country." Hindu-Sikh Jagriti Sena handed Tiwari a memorandum. "He
should respect our support to Anna or resign," said Praveen Dang, its
chief.
In Lucknow, people staged a dharna in front
of Union minister for steel Beni Prasad Verma's house at Gomti Nagar and did
not spare BJP MP Lalji Tandon either. The convener of India Against Corruption,
Lucknow, R K Agarwal, said, "We've protested for six days now, but Tandon
has still not clarified his stand."
Members of Jan Lokpal Andolan in Ahmedabad
sought support for a strong anti-corruption bill from their MPs, Harin Pathak
and Kirit Solanki. "A copy of Anna's Jan Lokpal bill was given to them.
We met and requested them to take up the issue in parliament," said activist
Vishwas Bhamburkar.
Members of Nagpur IAC were joined by hundreds
who staged a sit-down in front of four-term MP Vilas Muttemwar. Wearing Anna
caps and waving the tricolour, they shouted slogans and sang songs. In Bangalore,
a group of Americans got a lesson in non-violence, finding the peaceful nature
of the protest "simply amazing". "The government must listen
to the demands of the people," one of them said.
