Hazare breaks fast
Anti-corruption activist Anna Hazare breaks his fast at the Ramlila Maidan in New Delhi yesterday.Photo: AFP
Anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare yesterday broke his hunger strike with a call to change India's electoral system by incorporating the right to recall lawmakers and reject candidates after parliament agreed to endorse his key demands.
Hazare ended his fast, which began on August 16, by accepting a glass of coconut water mixed with honey from two girls -- one from a backward Hindu caste and the other a Muslim -- on a podium at central New Delhi's Ramlila Maidan around 10:30am.
"If the majority voters reject the candidates in an election, then the election should be countermanded", 74-year-old Hazare said, addressing thousands of his supporters who swarmed the ground.
"The battle for change has begun and I will not sit quiet as long as this battle continues," said the Gandhian, whose fast against corruption had caught the imagination of people across the country, particularly the middle class.
Both Houses of Indian Parliament on Saturday night passed a resolution accepting his three demands -- bringing the country's entire bureaucracy under the authority of an independent anti-corruption agency, appointing anti-graft ombudsman in all 29 states, and display of a citizen's charter, explaining the rights of individuals, in government offices.
"It is a matter of pride that the peaceful anti-corruption movement countrywide for the last six months has set an example before the entire world and brought out the power of non-violence," Hazare said.
He said his anti-graft movement has "given rise to the belief that we can build a corruption-free India".
Corruption had gone up due to centralisation of power in secretariat, Hazare said, adding power should be decentralised involving gram panchyats.
But all changes should be within the framework of the Indian constitution, he made it clear in an apparent answer to his critics who had accused him of subverting the charter by insisting that parliament pass his version of anti-corruption law.
"Don't remain silent even after passage of a strong Lokpal Bill and continue the battle for change in the system," Hazare told his supporters.
"I have broken my fast and put on hold my movement. But I will tour the entire country for a change in the system."
After a day-long debate in parliament, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee had said lawmakers agreed to the activist's demands in principle. However, no vote was held on a resolution as Hazare and his team had expected.
The resolution was adopted by traditional thumping of desks and preceded by a debate on issues relating to corruption.
The process of drafting the new Lokpal (anti-corruption ombudsman) law will now be taken up by a parliamentary committee which already has the Lokpal bill introduced by the government recently.
In his speech on Saturday, Hazare said his movement is not going to remain confined just against corruption. He will expand it to include key issues like acquisition of farmers' land, commercialisation of education, workers' right and environmental degradation.
His key aide Arvind Kejriwal announced that the Gandhian will be in a hospital for the next three days for medical check-up and rest.
Meanwhile, the 12-day standoff between Indian government and Hazare has once again brought out the spirit of compromise and give-and-take approach so typical in the country's democratic system.
Barring a few lawmakers like Lalu Prasad Yadav and Sharad Yadav of Janata Dal (United) who questioned the propriety of parliament discussing the issues raised by “a section of civil society not representing the entire segment of the society”, members of parliament cutting across party lines broadly endorsed Hazare's agenda and demand.
The parliamentary resolution strikes a balance between the two views of the civil society for strong anti-graft measures in the wake of major scams and the determination of political class not to allow parliament's sole authority to make laws to be undermined.
Even as the resolution accepted Hazare's three demands, it also made it clear that the procedure of scrutiny of the law by parliamentary standing committee would not be set aside.
Both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha went out of their way to discuss in a special sitting on Saturday an issue thrown up by the campaign of Hazare. There was unanimity that the constitution was supreme and parliamentary procedures in lawmaking cannot be questioned.
The government had initially refused to be dictated by the civil society on the shape of anti-corruption law but ended up accepting the three demands of Hazare.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh walked the extra mile at a time to resolve the gridlock when he gave his nod to a conciliatory resolution in parliament.
The opposition, particularly BJP and left parties, too matched the government attitude and set the stage for a debate free from barbs, acrimony and partisanship aiming at scoring brownie points.
The Hazare-led civil society, which had been frequently accused of using undemocratic methods to force his views on parliament and taking maximalist positions, chose to settle for a solution that did not fulfil all their demands and initial expectation of a firm commitment from parliament.
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