Live
- Turkey neutralises five Kurdish militants in Syria
- BJP questions Kejriwal on 21,000 deaths in Delhi due to contaminated water
- CM Revanth Reddy Inspects Progress of Telangana Mother Statue Installation
- ‘It’s Congress habit to spread lies’, says Vinod Tawde after sending legal notice to Kharge, Rahul
- Hungarian PM invites Netanyahu for visit, calls ICC warrants 'brazen and cynical'
- Lt Gen Suchindra Kumar reviews indigenously developed ‘Asmi’ machine pistols
- Who is AP's Next CM: Chandrababu Naidu Makes Key Comments in Assembly
- Engineering goods exports shoot past $10 bn in Oct, US & EU top markets
- India’s foreign exchange reserves stand at $657.89 billion
- ‘Thandel’ kickstarts musical journey with ‘Bujji Thalli;’ win hearts
Anna gives a miss; Mamata speaks to ‘empty chairs’
Anna Hazare Gives a Miss; Mamata Banerjee Speaks To ‘Empty Chairs’. It was way back in 2011 that social activist Anna Hazare had drawn huge crowds, raising the banner of revolt against the Congress-led UPA government, sending shivers in the Congress leadership.
A visibly disturbed Mamata said, "It is not our rally, but on Anna's word, I dropped everything and came here. I had work but I still came, as I had promised Annaji”
A visibly disturbed Mamata said, "It is not our rally, but on Anna's word, I dropped everything and came here. I had work but I still came, as I had promised Annaji”
Anna was informed about low-turnout at the Ramlila Grounds. Mamata's aide Mukul Roy rushed to meet Anna Hazare to persuade him to attend the rally, but to no avail
New Delhi: It was way back in 2011 that social activist Anna Hazare had drawn huge crowds, raising the banner of revolt against the Congress-led UPA government, sending shivers in the Congress leadership.
Three years down the line, he was ditched by the Delhiites on the very same ground, forcing him to renege on his promise made to Trinamool Congress supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
.jpg)
The rally was prestigious for Mamata, as it was meant to raise the pitch on realizing her Prime Ministerial ambitions. The no-show by Anna made her entire exercise a damp squib, in addition to the disappointment of merely 3000-odd crowd at the venue.
A visibly disturbed Mamata Banerjee said, "It is not our rally, but on Anna's word, I dropped everything and came here. I had work but I still came, as I had promised Annaji."
Anna Hazare joined the Mamata bandwagon, supporting her Prime Ministerial bid. Anna praised Mamata's simplicity, her austere lifestyle and leadership qualities. At the rally on Wednesday, Anna was expected to endorse her bid for Prime Ministership.
"I came because Annaji wanted to address the crowds and invited me to come. It was only after coming here that I was told he is not coming," remarked Mamata Banerjee.
The West Bengal Chief Minister was thrilled earlier to get the support of Anna Hazare, but with his waning popularity due to the rise of Arvind Kejriwal's AAP, Mamata was disheartened. She took the plea that since Annaji was unwell; he could not attend the rally. On the poor turnout at the rally, she clarified that she was just an invitee and it was not her show.
High drama marked the turn of events on Wednesday. Anna Hazare was in the Maharashtra Sadan in the Capital, when he was informed about the low-turnout at the Ramlila Grounds. Mamata's aide Mukul Roy rushed to meet Anna to persuade him to attend the rally, but to no avail.
As the news spread that Anna Hazare refused to attend Mamata's rally, BJP leader Gen V K Singh rushed to meet him. Apparently Gen V K Singh wanted to exploit the situation by weaning away the social activist from Mamata to the BJP. Playing down the meeting, he claimed there was no political significance and it was just a courtesy call.
