Fast stopped to devise fresh strategy

CHENNAI: Supporters of Anna Hazare here seem to be making sense of Gandhi’s satyagraha strategy of struggle-truce-struggle to fight against the Government.After 11 days of  fasting in their struggle, demanding the implementation of a strong Lokpal Bill, 18 people ended their stir on the request of Team Anna member Arvind Kejriwal.“Ending the fast is not an end itself. It is a truce to prepare strategies for a second struggle against corruption,” said D Suresh, who ended the fast accepting a cup of drink from the volunteers of India Against Corruption (IAC) at the venue in Thiruvanmiyur. “On the advice of Kejriwal, the fast is being concluded,” said Bhavana Upadhyaya, a volunteer of the IAC.Kejriwal had reportedly asked them to end their fast in view of their failing health. “We have ended our fast but our protest against graft will continue,” said a protestor interpolating words with the emotional chanting of Vande Mataram and Jai Hind.For the next five minutes, the hall was filled with patriotic slogans as volunteers and people gathered in the hall chanting Vande Mataram. They all requested Hazare to withdraw his fast due to his deteriorating health. “If the Government called our peaceful protest as unconstitutional, our next struggle is going to be on the streets, mobilising the support of people,” echoed the participants of the satyagraha protest.“People across communities and religions have to unit in our next struggle to fight against this menace,” added the volunteers.After thanking the cross-section of helpers, particularly doctors and nurses who had worked round-the-clock attending to the fasters, volunteer Raja Krishnamoorthy said they would prepare their next strategy for struggle in the next two days.Rooth (51), a teacher who visited the venue hours after the protesters broke their fast, advised the volunteers to adopt the strategy of Subramanya Bharati, nationalist Tamil poet and freedom fighter. “Powerful writing will invoke the inner feeling of the youngsters,” she said.A former member of the Congress, Rooth distanced herself from the party after reports of its involvement in various scams came out. The volunteers also organised a candlelight vigil in the evening, raising slogans in support of Hazare.