Entire nation is Anna’s family, says brother of social activist

Maruti Hazare hopes government will accept Jan Lokpal Bill soon and end everybody's worries over Anna's health

Entire nation is Anna's family, says brother of social activist

Maruti Hazare hopes government will accept Jan Lokpal Bill soon and end everybody's worries over Anna's health

In an exclusive interview with MiD DAY, anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare's brother Maruti yesterday said he was hoping the stand-off over the Jan Lokpal bill would end soon and the indefinite hunger strike launched by his sibling would be called off.

We are one: Maruti Hazare, Anna's brother, is a farmer in his village
Ralegansiddhi. Pic/Satish Dhumal

Maruti, who retired from the Forest Department, now is a farmer in his village Ralegansiddhi. He said Anna Hazare's family was not made up of just his blood relations but the entire nation was his extended family.
"All supporters of Anna are like family to him," he said.

Speaking about Anna Hazare's past, he said his elder brother had shifted to Byculla for school education and had lived in Mumbai with his aunt while supporting his family in Ralegansiddhi by working at a fruit stall.

"Every time Anna visited Ralegan, he used to buy us sweets and make sure that we eat all of them," Marutiu00a0 said.

Referring to the period before 1975, when Anna had retired from the army, Maruti said that after seeing how the youths in the village were addicted to alcohol, Anna decided to fight this evil out of Ralegansiddhi.

"Anna decided to remain unmarried and dedicate his life to social causes," he said. "In 1975, Anna quit our
home and started living in the Yadavbaba temple and since then he has not returned home even once. Anna only used to come to meet our mother Laxmibai. After the death of our father Baburao, our mother, too, started living in Yadavbaba temple."

Maruti said all the members of the family were supporting Anna's agitation for the Jan Lokpal bill. "Members of his extended family participate in all the protests taking place in Ralegansiddhi," he said.