Anna Hazare's Silent Protest Backs Students, Urges PM Modi for Dialogue
Anna Hazare's Silent Protest Backs Students, Urges PM Modi for Dialogue
Social activist Anna Hazare undertakes a 'maun andolan' in Ahilyanagar, urging PM Modi to address student protests with dialogue and accountability for alleged exam irregularities.
Social activist Anna Hazare observed a two-hour-long 'maun andolan' (silent protest) on Thursday, July 23, 2026, in Ahilyanagar, Maharashtra. The veteran activist undertook this silent demonstration to express his solidarity with students protesting in Delhi against alleged examination irregularities and paper leaks. His aide, Datta Awari, confirmed that Hazare's protest began at 11 a.m. and concluded at 1 p.m. at the Mahatma Gandhi statue before he returned to his village, Ralegan Siddhi.
The 'maun andolan' follows a letter Hazare dispatched to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday, July 22, 2026. In his correspondence, Hazare conveyed his deep distress over reports of "violence and police action" against the student protesters, describing the situation as "extremely painful." He emphasized that the resentment fueling these protests should not be dismissed merely as a "law and order problem" but understood as the genuine "agony and expectations of society."
Hazare also suggested that the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, if it were to occur, would not jeopardize the government's stability. Instead, he argued, such a move would "make its functioning more accountable and effective." He earnestly appealed to the government to engage with the protesting students "patiently, create an atmosphere of trust, and find solutions through positive dialogue," stressing the importance of a constructive approach to resolve the ongoing unrest.
