PUNE: Social crusader Anna Hazare , who entered the fourth day of an indefinite fast to press for the appointment of Lokpal and Lokayukta on Saturday, said the “prime minister will be responsible” if anything were to happen to him. The Gandhian had started his fast on January 30 at Ralegan Siddhi.Hazare has already lost three-and-ahalf kg. He has been feeling weak and his blood pressure has been fluctuating. Doctors from the government hospital and his pResidents of Ralegan Siddhi staged a rasta roko at the village chowk to extend support to Hazare. They are backing his cause for the appointment of Lokpal and Lokayukta and other demands like pension for farmers and removal of GST on drip irrigation systems, said Datta Awari, Hazare’s secretary. A sit-in agitation was also held in Shirur taluka.The agitators were taken to the Parner police station and later released.Earlier in the day, Hazare told the reporters that he had received a letter (dated January 25) from Prime Minister Narendra Modi . “There is nothing in the letter barring a line saying that he has received my letter, which was sent on January 1. It is signed by him with best wishes,” Hazare said.“Should anything happen to me, the government and the prime minister will be responsible,” he said and added that no political party was interested in having a Lokpal and Lokayukta as these institutions would hit them hard.So far, there has been no communication or an offer of dialogue from the government, said the sources at Hazare’s office. State water resources minister Girish Mahajan had met Hazare a couple of times before his fast, but nothing came of those visits.Hazare said his appeal to the voters is to elect people who have an unblemished character. “We have seen what happened in the last 72 years when people picked a political party rather than a candidate of good character,” he said.

Stay updated with all the Pune Latest News headlines here. For more exclusive & live news updates from all around India, stay connected with NYOOOZ.