Anna Hazare apologises to Uma Bharati

NEW DELHI: A day after his supporters rudely turned away politicians, social activist Anna Hazare on Thursday apologised to former BJP leader Uma Bharati, saying everybody has the right to join the anti-corruption campaign.

However, he made it clear that while politicians could come and sit among the crowds, they should not be on the dais as it was a people's movement. He said the protest should not be given any political colour. "Yesterday, my sister Uma Bharati came here but she was escorted out by some people," Hazare told reporters at Jantar Mantar on the third day of his fast-unto-death. "I was saddened by this and would like to apologise to her for the incident as everybody has a right to sit here and protest against corruption," he added.

Recalling the episode, Bharati said on Thursday that when she went to Jantar Mantar, around 40-50 "uncivilised" people tried to stop her. "But I am also dabang (irrepressible)," Uma Bharati told reporters here. Bharati clarified that she was not gate-crashing but had been invited by Hazare to join the protest. She expressed "sadness" that Hazare had to apologise to her. In a letter to him, Bharati said that the way he apologised at a press conference and said that those "uncivilised" men were not his people, has only strengthened her resolve to back him and his movement.