Funny but as expected: Sena on Hazare's fast U-turn

The Shiv Sena on Saturday slammedactivist Anna Hazare for first announcing a hunger strike overfarmers' issues and then calling it off within hours, sayingthis was ''on expected lines''.

Hazare on Friday announced an indefinite fast insupport of farmers who are agitating on Delhi borders againstthe new farm laws, but later changed the decision afterdiscussions with BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis and UnionMinister of State for Agriculture KailashChaudhary.

''The developments were funny but on expected lines,''the editorial in the Sena mouthpiece `Saamana' said, addingit was unclear what was Hazare's stand on the controversialfarm laws of the Union government.

''Protesting farmers are being targeted and the waythey are being treated is shocking,'' it said.

During the UPA regime led by Manmohan Singh, Hazarewent to Delhi twice and staged massive agitations (againstcorruption) and the BJP had supported those agitations, theSena said.

''But in the last few years, he has not taken a standon demonetization,lockdown (for coronavirus),'' it said.

The party also alleged that the Union government isdoing everything tocrush the farmers' agitation, and `look-out notices' have been issued against their leaders atairports as if they were international fugitives.

When asked by reporters about the Saamana editorial,Hazare said at Ralegan Siddhi, his village in Maharashtra'sAhmednagar district, that society and the country's interestmattered to him and not the party in power.

''When I see anything wrong happening, something whichis against the country and society, I take a stand. I haveprotestedagainst the land acquisition bill during theNarendra Modigovernment's tenure,'' he said.

On Friday, Hazare, 84, had said he won't be proceedingwith the indefinite fast as the Central government has agreedto some of his demands and set up a high-level committee. PTIMRKRK KRK