Zee Media Bureau
New Delhi/Pune/Ahmednagar: Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday morning cancelled his scheduled visit to Ralegan Siddhi in Maharashtra and meeting with Anna Hazare, whose indefinite hunger strike to press for the Lokpal bill entered the third day today.
Kejriwal along with Kumar Vishwas was scheduled to meet Anna today to extend support to him for his hunger strike.
Since Kejriwal was suffering from high fever on Wednesday night, Kumar Vishwas said the AAP convenor won`t be able to accompany him to Ralegan Siddhi.
Instead of Kejriwal, AAP leaders - Sanjay Singh and Gopal Rai – accompanied Kumar Vishwas.
After reaching Anna`s village, AAP leader Kumar Vishwas said the activist is a permanent source of inspiration for the Aam Aadmi Party and its leaders, including party chief Arvind Kejriwal, are grateful to him for awakening the country on the issue of corruption.
He said the AAP wanted Jan Lokpal Bill to be passed in Parliament immediately considering Hazare`s health condition due to fasting.
Enroute to Anna`s village, AAP leader Kumar Vishwas earlier in the day at Pune airport said it was wrong on anti-graft crusader`s part to hope that Congress and BJP will pass a strong Lokpal Bill.
"Anna is a simple man, may be he doesn`t understand but the people of this country have understood that only way to get a strong Lokpal is to get into politics by defeating the cunning politicians," a newspaper quoted Vishwas as saying.
"All those people to whom Anna has now written, requesting passage of the Lokpal Bill, including Arun Jaitley and Salman Khurshid, are the same people who laughed at the Bill. They have made a joke of the original Bill. It can hardly be called a Lokpal now. It has become Jokepal now. We have come to tell Anna that AAP is committed to passing the Jan Lokpal Bill with its word and spirit intact," said Vishwas.
He added: "The common man of India will contest the elections now all across the country. The culture of preparation of candidature lists at 10 Janpath (Congress chief residence) and Nagpur (RSS headquarters) will have to be abandoned. Simple and humble men and women will take on the mighty of Congress and BJP and defeat them like in Delhi."
Arvind Kejriwal said earlier today that due to ill health, he will not be able to meet Anna Hazare.
I wanted 2 go n meet Anna 2day but fell ill last nite. Running v high fever. But my heart is at Ralegan.
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) December 12, 2013
But Kumar Vishwas gopal rai n sanjay singh hv gone to Ralegan. Will talk to Anna on ph when they rch there
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) December 12, 2013
Kejriwal addressed the public meeting on Wednesday after the stunning victory in the Delhi Assembly polls despite running high fever, AAP spokesperson Manish Sisodia said.
He was rushed to a doctor as soon as the public meeting ended who asked him to take rest. Kejriwal would visit Ralegan Sidhi to support Hazare once he is well, Sisodia said.
On Wednesday, Kejriwal had announced that his party salutes the 76-year-old Hazare`s anti-corruption movement and that they were with him.
On the third day of his indefinite hunger agitation, Hazare appeared cheerful as he interacted with visitors and volunteers at the fast venue.
Social worker Medha Patkar today called on Anna Hazare and expressed her support to his agitation.
Hazare`s blood pressure was slightly above normal and he lost nearly one kg weight on the second day of his hunger strike.
Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan also sent an emissary, Revenue Minister Balasaheb Thorat, to meet Hazare and persuade him to call off the hunger strike, but the latter did not relent.
