By IANS,
New Delhi: As thousands joined Anna Hazare’s day-long fast at Jantar Mantar Sunday, a group protesting against his team and their version of the Lokpal bill was ignored and forced to stay away from the site.
The All India Confederation of Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes Organisations protested opposite Jantar Mantar on Jaisingh Road as they failed to get police permission to fast near Hazare.
“Due to Anna, police refused to give us the permission, citing lack of space as the reason,” Udit Raj, national president of the confederation, told IANS.
Complaining that both the government’s and Team Anna’s Lokpal bills did not make provisions for representation from backward and minority communities, the organisation has been protesting since long to push for a Bahujan Lokpal bill.
“We are not against their cause but the people involved and demand enquiry against corruption charges against Team Anna members,” added Raj, who claimed that he had contacted Team Anna member Arvind Kejriwal and expressed his desire to participate in Sunday’s protest, but got no response.
“It is now clear that they are not in favour of reservation for Dalits, tribals, OBCs and minorities,” he said.
Targeting key Team Anna member Kiran Bedi, Raj said she was herself accused of corruption charges.
Meanwhile, Hazare said that such protests and people should be ignored as their sole aim was to create controversies.
“Everyone has the right to protest in a democracy but I would appeal to everyone here that they should not react to them because we don’t want any controversy attached to our clean movement,” Hazare said.