New Delhi: Team Anna's protest against a "weak" Lokpal Bill in New Delhi remained a damp squib for the second day on Wednesday and was called off abruptly after Anna Hazare ended his fast in Mumbai.
The day began with just 200 people assembling at the huge Ramlila Grounds. Though the crowd grew in smaller proportion as the day progressed but their number did not exceed 1,000.
At one point during the day, security personnel were more visible than Team Anna's supporters at the 30,000-capacity Maidan in New Delhi this morning.
This despite the fact that prominent team members like Kiran Bedi, Shanti Bhushan and Prashant Bhushan are participating in the agitation at the Ramlila Maidan.
This is in sharp contrast to the 30,000 to 40,000 people who had poured in during Hazare's fast at this venue in August. His two other fasts at Jantar Mantar in the past eight months had also witnessed a large turnout.
The protest was called off after Hazare announced in Mumbai that he was ending his two-day long fast.
After Hazare's announcement, Prasant Bhushan said no one should write obituary for the anti-corruption movement just because the team has called off the fast and planned agitations across the country.
"This movement has forced the government to pass a bill, however weak. It had to make a joint committee, standing committee and then pass a bill. It is a weak bill, no doubt, but it is your pressure that made it happen," he said. Bhushan said their future strategy will be declared after the core committee meeting.
"The point to note is that in the current democracy, people's voice is not being heard. Anti-people laws are being made by the Government and we should get ready for a massive movement against what is happening," he said.
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