People from all walks of life, particularly students, took to the streets in Gujarat on Tuesday in support of Anna Hazare's agitation against corruption and condemned the police action against him.
A large number of non-government organisations, followers of Art of Living of Shri Shri Ravishankar, the People's Union for Civil Liberties, the Gujarat Lok Samiti, Lok Andolan, Gujarat, and several other organisations staged demonstrations and rallies in support of Mr. Hazare.
In Surat, Amreli and Bhavnagar, a large number of people engaged in the diamond-cutting industry, came out and staged demonstrations.
Held for blocking traffic
About 150 people were arrested in Ahmedabad for blocking traffic when they sat on a dharna near the Income-Tax Circle on the busy Ashram Road, while in Bhavnagar, the police had to intervene briefly when the students holding demonstrations disrupted traffic. The movement of trains was affected for sometime after the demonstrators sat on the track near Nadiad and some other places in the State, but the railway police managed to free the track and restore train services.
Rallies and demonstrations were also held in Gandhinagar, Rajkot, Vadodara, Porbandar, Jamnagar, Junagadh, Bhuj, Bulsar, Unjha, Palanpur and Navsari.
State Congress president Arjun Modhvadia, defending the Centre's action against Mr. Hazare, questioned the delay by the Narendra Modi government in appointing the Lokyaukta for the last seven years.
State BJP spokesman I.K. Jadeja said: “Anna's arrest was most undemocratic action and we will give a strong reply through demonstrations all over the State.” State BJP president R.C. Faldu said rallies would be held at all district and taluka headquarters on Wednesday in support of Mr. Hazare's agitation.
