Bangalore, May 27 (IANS): Social activist Anna Hazare arrived here Friday on a two-day visit to hold dialogue with civil society representatives on strengthening the anti-graft campaign.
Accompanied by Swami Agnivesh, another social activist, Hazare proceeded from the airport to Nelamangal, about 40 km away, to meet the farmers of the area.
On Saturday, he will address a public meeting in Bangalore.
This is Hazare's first visit to Bangalore after his five-day fast in New Delhi led to the setting up of a 10-member panel to draft the Lokpal bill to tackle corruption at the national level.
Ahead of the visit, Bangaloreans had raised over Rs.60,000 to meet expenses for organizing the public meeting at the National College grounds in south Bangalore.
The public meeting will also be addressed by Agnivesh, Right to Information activist Arvind Kejriwal, lawyer Prashant Bhushan and former Indian Police Service officer Kiran Bedi.
"Over Rs.60,000 have already been donated by various people including labourers and auto-drivers," a member of 'Saaku' (Kannada for 'Enough'), an organization active in anti-graft campaign in Karnataka, told IANS Thursday.
Saaku is helping organise Saturday's public meeting.
Hazare, Kejriwal and Bhushan along with senior advocate Shanti Bhushan and Karnataka Lokayukta (ombudsman) N. Santosh Hegde are civil society members of the 10-member panel drafting the Lokpal bill.