Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday voiced support for Anna Hazare's fast, saying that it was a "valuable campaign", according to Times Now.

"The J&K government is not averse to Hazare's views. He has chosen the most democratic way to protest," Abdullah told the newschannel.

Hazare continues fast, slams Cong for "misleading" nation

Social activist Anna Hazare, who entered the second day of his indefinite fast, slammed the Congress on Wednesday for "misleading" the people by dubbing his agitation as unnecessary and premature. He also said he sought an appointment with Sonia Gandhi prior to goin on fast, to discuss the citizens' grivances on Lokpal but she didn't meet him.

72-year-old Hazare, who is demanding enactment of an anti-corruption bill to give wider powers to the ombudsman, said, "The party's (Congress) statement is misleading people.

Why is this agitation unnecessary and how is it premature? 42 years the nation has been in need of such a bill. Why can't the government enact it?"

He asserted that he would not end his fast unto death till the government agrees to have citizens' participation in the drafting of the legislation.

When pointed out that the BJP too had embarked on a anti-corruption campaign today, the reformist said the party was taking advantage of the nationwide movement he had begun.

"But, they are a political party and are free to do as they wish. In the past too, when I agitated against corruption in the BJP government, the Congress party supported me. Now, its the other way around", Hazare said.

Yesterday, BJP leaders Maneka Gandhi and Prakash Javadekar visited Hazare's protest site at Jantar Mantar but did not make any speeches.

JD(U) chief Sharad Yadav too sat on the dais with Hazare and offered his support for the Jan Lokpal Bill and even said he was ready to take it up in Parliament.

Hazare said he would not allow politicians to sit with him on the dais anymore.

The anti-corruption champion began his fast yesterday and has been joined by thousands of people.

Tuesday's reports:

Anna Hazare begins fast in fight against corruption

Social activist Anna Hazare began his fast unto death in New Delhi on Tuesday to press for a stronger anti-corruption Lokpal Bill. The 73-year-old activist rejected the prime minister's call and went ahead with his plan to seek greater involvement of civil society in the drafting of the legislation to create an ombudsman at the centre. Kiran Bedi, Arvind Kejriwal, Swami Agnivesh and other civil society activists joined thousands of Hazare's supporters who marched from Rajghat to India Gate and then on to Jantar Mantar.

Hazare had planned to go on fast on March 5 but subsequently deferred it following the prime minister's invitation for a discussion. At a press conference in New Delhi, he later said he had told Manmohan Singh that a group of ministers (GoM) headed by Pranab Mukherjee, appointed for finalising the bill, was a "big joke."

"There is Sharad Pawar on the GoM who is known for land scams of crores of rupees, while other members are Veerappa Moily who is known for the infamous Moily tapes during his tenure as the Karnataka CM and Kapil Sibal who unashamedly certified former telecom minister A Raja for no scam in 2G spectrum allocation," he said.

Hazare, flanked by Kiran Bedi and Swami Agnivesh, said he told the PM that the law for controlling corruption should be formulated in consultation with prominent social activists to end corruption from public life. He pointed out that similar consultations in his home state Maharashtra resulted in enactment of seven legislations, including the state's own Right to Information Act.

Agnivesh clarified on the fast saying, "We have made all appeals to the government and ultimately took this step. This rally started with offering prayers to the nation’s leaders who preached non-violence and this rally will also be a non-violent one. Anna is not the one who is stubborn. He respects the prime minister. The prime minister told us that the practice of including commoners in the committee to draft a bill has never happened in the central government before, so we told him that this level of corruption was also never seen in India before. We do not want all our recommendations to be accepted, but how do we accept that the politicians who have corruption cases pending against them will draft a bill that goes against their interest."

“The bill has been tabled in the parliament nine times since 1969. Through this rally, we want to send a message across to the corrupt people that we know about this bill and once it is passed, we won’t need to go to the court for our grievances. We will be able to check corruption through this bill. It will especially be beneficial for the poor,” said Veena Arora, a YMCA Faridabad student.

BJP asks PM to address issues raised by Hazare

The BJP today sought an explanation from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh about the "rising corruption" in the country and the issues raised by fasting social activist Anna Hazare in this regard.

Addressing a press conference here, the BJP general secretary Ananth Kumar also criticised the Centre for including Union Agriculture minister Sharad Pawar in the Group of Ministers formed to look into the contents of the proposed anti-corruption bill.

"They themselves are neck-deep in corruption. What will they do? How can they be part of GoM constituted against corruption?" Kumar told reporters here while releasing the BJP's manifesto for the upcoming West Bengal Assembly polls.

He said "The Prime Minister has to answer the question raised by Anna Hazare".

"Hazare's demand is for public good and deserves to be praised," he said.

Cong terms Hazare's fast-unto-death as premature

Congress today termed the indefinite hunger strike by social activist Anna Hazare for a stronger Lokpal Bill as "premature", saying the government had already constituted a panel headed by Defence Minister A K Antony to go into the issue.

"The Prime Minister has already constitued a sub-committee headed by Antony..... When the process was already on, then adopting such a path is perhaps not appropriate, probably unnecessary. We respect Hazare very much but the path he has adopted is premature," party spokesman Manish Tewari told reporters.

Noting that the PMO has appropriately articulated its disappointment over Hazare's course of action, he said in a democracy, the government moves the bill and Parliament enacts it.

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