Support continues to pour in for Hazare in Karnataka

Bangalore, Aug 18: Support today (Aug 19) continued to pour in for Anna Hazare in Karnataka as ruling BJP and students staged dharnas and protests to express their solidarity with the anti-corruption crusader.

Students skipped their classes to come onto the streets to register their protest.

Rains also did not dampen the spirit of protesters who continued to throng the Freedom Park, where the dharna was on for the third day, with veteran Gandhian H S Doreswamy and former Supreme Court Judge Santosh N Hegde on the stage to inspire the crowd.

BJP held a protest near Mahatma Gandhi statue on M G Road but former Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa who had said he would participate in it, was conspicuous by his absence.

A few ministers, including Umesh Katti, Basavaraj Bommai, Murugesh Nirani and M P Renukacharya and MLAs were present along with party workers.

At Freedom Park, where the protest is largely spearheaded by "India Against Corruption" outfit, there was a surprise visitor in Kannada actor Shivaraj Kumar, who threw his weight behind Hazare.

"These protests should not be limited to cities. It should spread out to villages, creating awareness among the people. We need a strong and effective Lokpal," he said.

Protests continued to be staged in parts of the state in Hazare's support.

PTI