ID :
204055
Mon, 08/29/2011 - 04:56
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/204055
The shortlink copeid
INDIAN ANTI-GRAFT ACTIVIST ENDS HUNGER STRIKE AFTER 13 DAYS
INDIAN ANTI-GRAFT ACTIVIST ENDS HUNGER STRIKE AFTER 13 DAYS
By P. Vijian
NEW DELHI, Aug 28 (Bernama) -- India drove into a jubilant mood on Sunday,
as veteran social activist Anna Hazare ended his 13-day hunger strike when
Parliament acceded to his key demands of an anti-graft bill.
About 10am, he broke his fast, sipped just coconut water mixed with honey,
at the Ramlila ground in Delhi, where he led a strong campaign against nagging
corruption.
"I suspended my fast temporarily, the fight will go on. We have only won
half the battle...we have to keep fighting to bring changes in society," he told
a large, flag-waving cheering crowd.
He was later driven to hospital for medical check up.
Hazare, 74, began his fast on Aug 16 after police jailed the activist just
hours before his planned indefinite hunger strike, fearing it would create law
and order problems in the capital.
It was a major sign of victory for the social activist and his civil society
team which drafted and relentlessly lobbied to push for the long-delayed
anti-graft bill, 'Jan Lokpal' (Citizen Ombudsman), initiated nearly four
decades ago.
Following several parleys in Parliament until late Saturday, Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) and its main
opposition, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) reached a compromise on the tough law.
Parliamentarians agreed to consider Hazare's three contentious demands --
anti-graft ombudsman in all states, including lower bureaucracy under Lokpal,
and institute citizens' charter.
Once the bill is passed, the anti-graft body would have omnipotent powers to
even probe the judiciary and prime minister, eventually all under the ambit of
the Lokpal.
For weeks, India was gripped with anti-corruption fever, after the
clean-image Gandhian-styled Hazare initiated a non-violent protest that caught
the imagination of millions of Indians who rallied alongside him.
Cities and villages suffused with anti-bribery mood and support swelled for
the former soldier, with victory marches, new-born babies named Anna and a
temple specially dedicated to him, built in Madhya Pradesh.
But in his homestate in Maharasthra, a 33-year-old woman committed suicide,
fearing for Hazare's health. In Bihar, a middle-aged man who attempted
self-immolation is still in critical condition.
-- BERNAMA
By P. Vijian
NEW DELHI, Aug 28 (Bernama) -- India drove into a jubilant mood on Sunday,
as veteran social activist Anna Hazare ended his 13-day hunger strike when
Parliament acceded to his key demands of an anti-graft bill.
About 10am, he broke his fast, sipped just coconut water mixed with honey,
at the Ramlila ground in Delhi, where he led a strong campaign against nagging
corruption.
"I suspended my fast temporarily, the fight will go on. We have only won
half the battle...we have to keep fighting to bring changes in society," he told
a large, flag-waving cheering crowd.
He was later driven to hospital for medical check up.
Hazare, 74, began his fast on Aug 16 after police jailed the activist just
hours before his planned indefinite hunger strike, fearing it would create law
and order problems in the capital.
It was a major sign of victory for the social activist and his civil society
team which drafted and relentlessly lobbied to push for the long-delayed
anti-graft bill, 'Jan Lokpal' (Citizen Ombudsman), initiated nearly four
decades ago.
Following several parleys in Parliament until late Saturday, Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) and its main
opposition, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) reached a compromise on the tough law.
Parliamentarians agreed to consider Hazare's three contentious demands --
anti-graft ombudsman in all states, including lower bureaucracy under Lokpal,
and institute citizens' charter.
Once the bill is passed, the anti-graft body would have omnipotent powers to
even probe the judiciary and prime minister, eventually all under the ambit of
the Lokpal.
For weeks, India was gripped with anti-corruption fever, after the
clean-image Gandhian-styled Hazare initiated a non-violent protest that caught
the imagination of millions of Indians who rallied alongside him.
Cities and villages suffused with anti-bribery mood and support swelled for
the former soldier, with victory marches, new-born babies named Anna and a
temple specially dedicated to him, built in Madhya Pradesh.
But in his homestate in Maharasthra, a 33-year-old woman committed suicide,
fearing for Hazare's health. In Bihar, a middle-aged man who attempted
self-immolation is still in critical condition.
-- BERNAMA
