New Delhi: Did Anna Hazare abruptly announce the ending of the fast, taking his associates by surprise?
The dramatic announcement by Hazare came at 4 pm on Thursday when the activist said he and his aides will end the fast tomorrow.
It did not come at the end of his nearly 30 minute speech which started around 3 PM but later after his close aides Arvind Kejriwal, Kiran Bedi and Kumar Vishwas had spoken.
His first speech did not mention about ending the fast while Kejriwal talked about waiting for next two days to take a decision on the political alternative after going through the suggestions from public.
After the speeches of Kejriwal and Bedi, he again picked up the microphone to add some other points like Lokayukta bill in states and not just changing the system at Centre but at the states also.
Then Vishwas, who was conducting the proceedings from the dais, started summarising the content of all speeches. Hazare again asked for the microphone from him and announced that the fast will be ending tomorrow evening.
"It is another two years to go to polls in 2014. We have to go to people throughout the country in the next one-and- half years. Why waste time on fasts? Tomorrow at 5 PM, all fast will end," Hazare said.
His announcement appeared to surprise his team as there were no indication to that effect in the speeches of either Hazare and Kejriwal in the afternoon.
When asked whether there was a surprise element in the announcement, a Team Anna member said there was no need to see a conspiracy angle in it and claimed a decision was taken in a meeting.
PTI
