Hazare's fast

The Congress-led Indian government finally reached out to the 72-year-old Anna Hazare in an attempt to convince the self-styled 'Gandhian' to reconcile with the government on his stance on corruption in India. Indian Premier Manmohan Singh wrote a letter to Hazare on Tuesday and offered to make changes in the country's anti-corruption law. Hazare's top aides welcomed the proposals of the prime minister but said that they were not enough for the veteran activist to break his fast.

'Threat to Indian democracy'

Anna Hazare demands that the government withdraw its anti-corruption bill, which is currently before parliament, and replace it with a stricter bill, the Jan Lokpal, drafted by him and other civil society leaders. The Indian premier had earlier rejected Hazare's demands as "totally misconceived" and a threat to India's parliamentary democracy.

Hazare, who is staging his protest in Central Delhi, has become a symbol of dissent for thousands of Indians. His anti-corruption movement has shaken the Manmohan Singh government, which is facing multi-billion corruption charges implicating top officials.

Earlier this month, Anna Hazare was arrested and prevented from holding his hunger strike after he tried to stage a protest against corruption. After his release, Hazare was able to begin his hunger strike again.

Reconciliation efforts

Retracting from its previous harsh stance, it now seems that the Indian government is trying to woo Hazare and his supporters. Indian PM has chaired an all-party moot on Wednesday to find a way out of this crisis and end the public standoff. On Tuesday, Singh wrote to Anna Hazare and said that he would request the Speaker of parliament to refer the Hazare bill to the standing committee that is reviewing the government's draft. Singh also said in his letter that he shared Hazare's concerns about corruption in the country, and that only their approaches to tackle the issue were different. Singh urged Hazare to end his fast. "I do hope that you will consider my suggestions and end your fast to regain full health and vitality," Singh said.

There are serious concerns about Anna Hazare's health, as his hunger strike entered the ninth day. A team of doctors is constantly monitoring his vital signs.

A high-profile government delegation led by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee also met Hazare's aides on Tuesday to end the deadlock.

Praise and criticism for Hazare

Indian historian Ramachandara Guha is of the opinion that Hazare has successfully brought the issue of corruption to the fore. "The task now is not to further polarise State and society, but to find democratic and transparent ways of making politicians more efficient and less venal," said Guha.

Famous Indian writer and social activist Arundhati Roy, on the other hand, has referred to the Jan Lokpal Bill as “a draconian, anti-corruption law, in which a panel of carefully chosen people will administer a giant bureaucracy, with thousands of employees, with the power to police everybody from the prime minister, the judiciary, members of parliament, and all of the bureaucracy, down to the lowest government official."

Author: Shamil Shams (AFP, Reuters)
Editor: Sarah Berning