Anna declared fit, heads home without fanfare

Hindustan Times

New Delhi, 01 September 2011: In a sudden and closely guarded move, social activist Anna Hazare, who had been recouping at a private hospital in Gurgaon for four days after ending his 12-day fast, left for Pune on Wednesday night. According to Hazare’s associates, the Gandhian expressed the desire to celebrate the Ganesh Chaturthi festival on Monday in his native Ralegan Siddhi village in Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra.

 

His team also denied that Hazare left the hospital abruptly, although the doctors attending on him wanted him to spend a couple of days more there.

 

"He showed remarkable improvement and took solid diet for the first time in more than a fortnight this morning,” said Shanti Bhushan, a member of his team.

Hazare left after he was given a go-ahead by Dr Naresh Trehan, chairman of Medanta - The Medicity hospital, where he was admitted after breaking his fast on Sunday.

 

To avoid the public rush and media glare, Hazare made his departure from an emergency gate of the hospital and was seen off by Dr Trehan and his team. The waiting television vans and his supporters did not come to know when he left.

 

Dr Trehan later said Hazare expressed his desire to visit his village around 5.30pm in the evening.

 

"I was in the operation theatre when I received the message and I gave the nod.

 

By the time I reached his room, he was ready to leave,” Dr Trehan said.

 

Hazare is likely to stay in his village till the core committee meeting of his team on September 10 and 11, which he convened to chalk out the future strategy on the Lokpal issue. His team is also expected to begin deliberations on electoral reforms.

 

He spoke to his supporters in the village on the phone this afternoon and advised them to desist from any celebrations on his return. He is likely to address the villagers when he reaches there from Pune on Monday afternoon.