Despite the recent controversies surrounding civil society members of the Lokpal Bill drafting committee, support for Anna Hazare’s anti-graft campaign continues unabated, as evident from the thousands of SMSes pouring in from across the country, the organisers said Tuesday.
An SMS that read – ‘Do you want to volunteer for Anna Hazare’s movement against corruption (in support of strong anti-corruption law)? If yes, please SMS back on this number’ – was sent to 3,50,000 Delhiites Saturday and 55,000 of them replied, said an official from India Against Corruption (IAC), the organisation spearheading the campaign.
A similar SMS was sent in Mumbai to over 1,00,000 people, and 10,000 responded.
‘Excitement is building up in Bangalore, Mysore and other cities as Anna Hazare, Arvind Kejriwal, Kiran Bedi, Swami Agnivesh, among others, are all set to visit them for public consultations on the Jan Lokpal Bill,’ the IAC official said.
We are getting an indication that crowds of between 10,000 and 50,000 people would be present in Mysore and Bangalore respectively, the official added.
Numerous organisations, professionals, and others are contacting IAC centres across the country to pledge their support and offer assistance to the movement.
‘A public march will be held from Jantar Mantar to India Gate on May 1 at 5 p.m. to express support for the joint drafting committee,’ added the official.
