Media made me a household name, says Anna

It is the media that has made me a household name today by taking me to the nook and corner of the country, said social activist Anna Hazare.

It is the media that has made me a household name today by taking me to the nook and corner of the country, said social activist Anna Hazare.

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Hazare, 73, who was given the CNN-IBN's Indian of the Year Award for redefining the country's political discourse, said, "I have taken the wickets of six ministers (in Maharashtra) and more will follow."

While host and editor-in-chief of IBN 18 Network Rajdeep Sardesai asked whether the government was scared of him, Hazare answered with another question: "How can the government be scared of me when my height is only 5.2 feet? I live in a temple and have no bank balance. All I have is a sleeping cot and a plate to eat from."

Hazare, 73, said he drew his resilience from his gurus -- Swami Vivekananda and Mahatma Gandhi. "They are the source of my strength."

Warning the central government, he said the only way out for the government now was to pass the lokpal bill. He also said he would begin his hunger strike from December 27 in Mumbai if the Lokpal bill was not introduced and passed by then.

Except Congress MP Sanjay Singh, no other Congressmen was present at the ceremony. Sardesai said his channel had invited Lok Sabha speaker Meira Kumar to be the chief guest, but there was a communication that she would not attend the ceremony as she did not agree with one of the nominations. The reference, apparently, was to Hazare.