NEW DELHI, India, April 9, 2011 (AFP) - A 73-year-old Indian social activist who staged a 98-hour hunger strike in protest against corruption ended his fast today after the government agreed to his demands over a new anti-graft bill.
Mahatma Gandhi devotee Anna Hazare began the hunger strike in New Delhi last Tuesday, winning wide support amid rising anger over rampant corruption scandals that have tainted Premier Manmohan Singh's Congress-led government.
The activist broke his fast with a sip of lemon juice as a festive air prevailed, with crowds bursting firecrackers and singing patriotic songs. “Our fight must not end here,” Hazare said, while thousands of supporters shouted “We are with you” and cheered him at the central Jantar Mantar landmark which the media dubbed “India's Tahrir Square”.
“The real fight begins now,” Hazare said.
Hazare said “all of India has won a victory” after the government announced late Friday it would accept his demands.
Singh said he was “happy that the government and representatives of civil society have reached an agreement in our mutual resolve to combat corruption.
“This is a scourge that confronts all of us,” Singh said in a statement.
Hazare's main demand was that members of civil society sit on a committee drafting an ombudsman bill which would give teeth to anti-corruption laws, enabling prosecution of public officials such as ministers and bureaucrats.
The panel will be headed by India's Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and a prominent human rights lawyer, Shanti Bhushan.
Thousands gathered to watch Hazare break his fast, from schoolchildren and middle-class professionals to representatives of political and social groups.
Sewing shop worker Nityanand, 32, made his way to the protest on crutches.
“I'm a poor man, but I came here to show this is not the fight of one man -- there are thousands like us standing right behind him,” he told AFP.
High school senior Manika Sahni, 18, said, “It's so encouraging to see this. Anna Hazare is a pure, honest person, not like our politicians.”After prolonged negotiations, the Congress government, fearing more controversy ahead of a string of state elections, caved in to Hazare's demands and promised to introduce the ombudsman bill in the next parliamentary session.
But observers were skeptical about what Hazare's movement would achieve. “Addressing corruption is a long, complex process and while Hazare has successfully played on public disenchantment over recent scams, it may not be enough to carry the day,” political commentator Parsa Venkateshwar Rao said.
The use of methods made famous by independence leader Gandhi, who pioneered fasting as a form of protest, frail Hazare's resemblance to the father of the nation and blanket media coverage helped him to spread his message.
Support poured in from many quarters and an online petition from campaign group Avaaz drew over 500,000 signatures in 24 hours. Protest marches were held in Bangalore, Mumbai and other cities.
Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan wrote a letter to Hazare, identifying himself with “the thousands who are fully supportive of your efforts”.
The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry also backed him, saying, “Corruption in high places is denting India's image.”Support for Hazare was fuelled by a spate of scandals.
Last October's Delhi Commonwealth Games were viewed as riddled with graft, while the allegedly fraudulent sale of telecom licences in 2008 caused losses estimated at billions of dollars to the treasury.
Anna Hazare: Fact file
Kisan Baburao Hazare, popularly known as Anna Hazare (Born January 15, 1940), is an Indian social activist who is especially recognized for his contribution to the development of Ralegan Siddhi, a village in Ahmednagar district, Maharashtra, India and his efforts for establishing it as a model village, for which he was awarded the Padma Bhushan by the Government of India, in 1992.
Early life:
Anna's father Baburao Hazare worked as an unskilled labourer in Ayurveda Ashram Pharmacy and lost his job when the boy was studying in the 4th standard.
Little Anna lived with his childless aunt in Mumbai.
Anna studied upto the 7th standard in Mumbai. He took up a job after the 7th standard in consideration of the economic situation back home. Anna started selling flowers at Dadar in order to make his living. Gradually he started his own flower shop. Soon he fell into bad company and started wasting his time and money on vices and became embroiled in violence.
In 1960, he joined the Indian Army as a driver.
While in the Army, he spent his spare time reading the books of Swami Vivekananda, Mahatma Gandhi and Acharya Vinoba Bhave that inspired him to become a social worker and activist.
His feats include:
The self-sustaining model village of Ralegan Siddhi carried out a successful campaign to rid Ralegan Siddhi of alcoholism.
Improved its education level, agriculture and milk production.
Eradicated the concept of caste-based untouchability from the village, and now the campaign against corruption. |
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