This Article is From Apr 05, 2013

Anna Hazare won't give juice when Arvind Kejriwal ends hunger strike tomorrow

Anna Hazare won't give juice when Arvind Kejriwal ends hunger strike tomorrow
New Delhi: Activist-turned-politician Arvind Kejriwal, will end his hunger strike tomorrow at 5 pm, after 14 days of surviving only on water, he said today.

Mr Kejriwal is protesting against Delhi residents being over-charged for water and electricity because of an alleged conspiracy between the government and private firms.

Mr Kejriwal, who is 44, has lost more than six kilograms since his fast began on March 23.

Visibly weak, he announced this afternoon that nearly 10 lakh people have signed his petition agreeing that the government is fleecing them.

He said that for the next stage of his "satyagraha" or civil disobedience movement, he would like residents of Delhi to help his team in reconnecting the power supply to homes who are without electricity because of unpaid bills.

Mr Kejriwal said he had hoped that his one-time mentor, activist Anna Hazare, would give him a glass of juice tomorrow with which he would end his strike.  But Anna is not free, he said.

Mr Kejriwal and Anna parted last year after disagreeing over whether their team should enter politics. They had championed a new anti-corruption law, which would create an ombudsman or Lokpal empowered to investigate charges of graft against government servants.

That law has yet to be cleared by Parliament.

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