Veteran Gandhian Anna Hazare is likely to go to Manipur to personally urge activist Irom Sharmila to end her 10 years long hunger strike.
Sharmila, has been fasting, since November 2000, demanding for the repeal of the Armed Forces (Special Power) Act, 1958 (AFSPA) in the North-East.
After the success of the Jan Lokpal movement, team Anna was flooded with request from activists from various parts of the country asking the team to lend its support to their individual causes.
As a follow up of the decision, Sharmila’s case has come in for discussion. Sources close to the anti-graft activist maintains that Hazare had expressed concern about the condition of Sharmila and wants an early end to her marathon fast. At present she is being force fed at the Jawaharlal Nehru Hospital close to her home in Imphal East.
During the Jan Lokpal movement, Sharmila had expressed support for the cause through letter.
In continuation of the Team Anna's earlier decision, two members of the team will be leaving for Imphal soon. Although the names are yet to be finalised. Insiders say that Manish Sisodiya and supreme court advocate Prashant Bhushan would be included in the team.
Sources close to Hazare said other than urging Sharmlla to end her hunger strike, the Gandhian is keen to visit the other North-Eastern parts too.
Sharmila's demand for repealing the AFSPA will also be studied in detail as Team Anna has expressed concern about the possible implications in other sensitive parts of the country.
Sources close to Hazare also view that other than urging Sharmila to end her hunger strike, the Gandhian is keen to visit the North-East for other reasons.
"There exists a mental block in various parts of the country, which has caused a divide between the North-East and the rest of the country. Given the iconic stature of Anna, his visit would go a long way in bridging the divide and to integrate those parts into the greater psyche of the nation," the source said.
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