By IANS,
Mumbai : Politicians, Bollywood stars, youth and students in Maharashtra Wednesday expressed support for social activist Anna Hazare’s “fast unto death” for a more stringent anti-graft legislation.
Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Gopinath Munde both extended support to Hazare and said his demand for passing the Lokpal Bill must be immediately conceded by the central government.
Bollywood actor Diya Mirza and national award-winning director Madhur Bhandarkar are among the Bollywood celebrities who have expressed support to Hazare’s crusade.
Several students and youth organisations in Pune came out in support of Hazare and said they would organise similar relay hunger strikes outside different government offices in the city.
Organisations like Bharatiya Krantikari Sanghatana (BKS), Republic Vidyarthi Sena, All India Students’ Association and other groups have organised rallies around the state to express solidarity with Hazare’s cause.
BKS chief Siddharth Sharma said unless the central government conceded Hazare’s demands within the next five days, it would launch a statewide ‘jail bharo’ (fill jail) agitation from Monday.
Besides agitating outside the Pune Municipal Corporation and the district collector’s office, groups of people and workers are also spreading out into rural areas to create awareness against corruption, Sharma said.