Indo-American Group Celebrate Anna's Victory

Indian-Americans here celebrated Parliament's endorsement of social activist Anna Hazare's three key demands on Lokpal Bill, saying it demonstrated the power of the people and of the Indian democracy.

Volunteers of the 'India Against Corruption' organisation in New Jersey and Boston held gatherings in support of Hazare, hailing his victory against corruption in the country.

The passage of the resolution on the bill "is a victory of the Indian people and the Indian democracy," IAC volunteer in New Jersey Deepak Gupta said.

He said Indians around the world have been closely following Hazare's 12-day fast and the parliamentary debate on the Lokpal Bill.

After the resolution was passed, Gupta said a handful of Indians carried out a march in New Jersey waiving the tricolour, carrying banners, distributing sweets and singing the national anthem.

Hazare's campaign brought the people of India together and "we now see what their unity and resolve has achieved," Gupta added.

The India Against Corruption's Boston chapter organised a gathering at Harvard University, in solidarity with the anti-corruption movement in India, the chapter's member Suman Kumar said.

People turned out in large numbers for the gathering and were "jubilant" at Hazare's victory in sowing the seeds for a historic anti-corruption law for India.

"Anna has proved stronger than Irene," Kumar said referring to the hurricane smashing the US east coast.

"There is a feeling of satisfaction on this initial victory but the battle has just begun and we pledge our support to Hazare for his long-term fight," Kumar added.

Mens and Womens Behind Anna Hazare

Anna Hazare has become a powerful brand for people-driven change. But a brand is not built in isolation. It took, amongst others, the father-son due of a former law minister and an activist lawyer, a former police officer and an income tax officer-turned RTI activist to power the 24x7 Anna Hazare show that fired the nation's imagination like no other. These five people were part of his 'inner circle' of advisers:

1) Arvind Kejriwal: Hazare's right-hand man, an alumnus of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Kharagpur, was additional commissioner of Income Tax, Delhi, at the young age of 27 before he turned against the establishment. Founder of Parivartan, a Delhi-based NGO pushing for transparent governance, the 43-year-old's tireless crusade educating people about the Right to Information Act won him the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Emerging Leadership in 2006.

2) Shanti Bhushan: One of the two legal brains behind Anna Hazare's Jan Lokpal campaign, 86-year-old Shanti Bhushan has been in the news for advocating reforms of higher judiciary. He, along with his son Prashant Bhushan, set up Campaign for Judicial Accountability and Judicial Reform (CJAR). As law minister in the Morarji Desai government, he introduced the Lokpal bill in Parliament in 1977. He was also co-chairman of the joint committee set in April 2011 for the Jan Lokpal Bill and played a key role in brokering a compromise that led to the parliament agreeing in principle to Hazare's key demands.

3) Prashant Bhushan: Better known for filing public interest litigation (PIL), taking up diverse issues from environmental violations to corruption, the bespectacled lawyer was in the small team that co-drafted the Jan Lokpal bill. Bhushan, 57, shot into the limelight for a PIL filed by him that led to unearthing of the multi-million dollar scandal in the allocation of 2G telecom spectrum. He has been a key confidant of Hazare and part of his negotiating team with the government.

4) Kiran Bedi: India's first female police officer, Bedi hit the headlines in the early 1980s when she got prime minister Indira Gandhi's car towed away for a parking violation. Known as a no-nonsense officer who instilled both fear and discipline in her men, she undertook sweeping reforms in New Delhi's Tihar Jail and is part of the trio, along with Prashant Bhushan and Kejriwal, who have been negotiating with the government over the Lokpal bill. She drew adverse attention by her theatrics on the Ramlila stage and was criticised for mocking MPs and the way they made fool of those who elected them.

5) Medha Patkar: The woman who led the Narmada Bachao Andolan, espousing the rights of those displaced by the construction of the Narmada and other large dams. In 1991, she undertook a three-week fast against the Sardar Sarovar dam that brought her almost close to death. That year, she won the Right Livelihood Award along with Baba Amte. Patkar was a late entrant to the Anna cause. A postgraduate in social work from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Patkar has been an outspoken and hardline member of the movement.

Anna Hazare Ends Fast

After about 290 hours, Anna Hazare ended his hunger strike in Delhi this morning. Two little girls, Ikrah and Simran - the tricolour painted on their cheeks and wearing Anna caps - offered him coconut water and honey to bring up the moment.

The 74-year-old had not eaten in more than 12 days; He has lost 7.5 kgs. Anna Hazare left Ramlila Maidan for hospital and has reached the Medanta Medicity hospital in Gurgaon. Doctors expect him to be in hospital for a couple of days.

Before leaving the Ramlila Madan, where he lived and fasted for 10 days, Anna exhorted the thousands of supporters gathered to continue their non-violent fight against corruption, a battle that he said had just begun. "You don't become Anna by wearing the Anna Topi", he said, "You become Anna by practicing my principles." He thanked the people and said the Parliament of the people was supreme.

Anna also called for electoral reforms and said that people should strive for right to recall and right to reject their MPs in case they failed to perform their duties. The Gandhian was often criticised during fortnight-long protest of undermining the principles of democracy and he made a point to say that whatever changes he and his team want, would be done in accordance with the Constitution.

Before Anna broke his fast, his key associate Arvind Kejriwal administered an anti-corruption oath to the people gathered at Ramlila Maidan - the massive ground was full, people were surging ahead and Anna in his first words made repeated appeals to the crowds to be orderly.

Mr Kejriwal also announced that supporters would gather today at 6 pm at India Gate to celebrate the "victory against corruption."

A little over 15 hours before Anna Hazare ended his fast, the Indian Parliament accepted the three demands that were his pre-conditions for ending hunger strike against corruption. These will now form the basis of a new and historic anti-graft legislation.



In the 12 days that he fasted, Anna persuaded thousands to attend his camp in Delhi or march in solidarity in other cities; forced the government to blink first and blink hard; and generated international headlines.

His critics charged him with hijacking democracy; politicians across parties including the Prime Minister have thanked him for forcing attention on the country's frustration with the misuse of public offices, and more importantly, the bribe-giving and taking that governs everyday life. "Anna Hazare has become the embodiment of people's concern and disgust with corruption. I applaud him, I salute him," the PM said in Parliament on Thursday.

Rahul Gandhi's stand on Friday indicated a more wary view of Anna's methods. He thanked Anna for articulating the sentiments of the poor on the issue of corruption, but also warned that democratic processes could not be undermined. "We must not weaken the democratic process which is lengthy and elaborate, but is inclusive and fair," Mr Gandhi said. A process that was "divorced from democracy sets a dangerous precedent," he added, pointing out that while today it was about corruption, an important issue, "tomorrow you may have protests for something less universally accepted."

Mr Gandhi's stand was shared by many who argued that Anna was misusing his hunger strike to dictate terms on legislation, willfully undermining Parliament. Despite those accusations and recurring concern about his worsening health by doctors assigned to monitor him regularly, Anna held his ground. From Delhi's sprawling Ramlila Maidan, where he drew blockbuster audiences, the Gandhian negotiated from a position of strength. "Anna, tum sangharsh karo, hum tumhaare saath hain (Anna, you fight, we are all with you)" became India's more verbose equivalent of "Yes, we can." Anna's topi or cap was seen on newborns, freedom-fighters and women senior citizens. "I am Anna," declared T-shirts sported by students who skipped college to park themselves at Anna's sit-in.

Anna's challenge to the government was direct: he would not eat till it introduced his version of a new anti-corruption bill for consideration in Parliament. The Lokpal Bill is named after the agency it mid-wives, which will have nine members with the power to pursue complaints of corruption against public servants. The activist and his advisors, nicknamed Team Anna, wrote off the government's draft as one designed to under-achieve. Team Anna put together its own version, which they titled the Jan Lokpal Bill or People's Lokpal Bill. Not all civil society activists support Anna's draft. Another group led by Aruna Roy has created a third version of the Lokpal Bill. Still other versions exist.

Anna's critics say the extent of his give diminished his claim of representing a democracy. His original demand was that only the Jan Lokpal bill should be introduced and accepted by September 8, when this session of Parliament concludes. The negotiations between his team and the government reflected wild mood swings in the last few weeks. Finally, there were three must-haves that Anna listed as essential for both an effective Lokpal, and for his fast to conclude. This morning, in Parliament, the government introduced a resolution that accepted the basic principles of those points.

Anna's anti-corruption movement made its first appearance in April, when he fasted for four days demanding that the government introduce a Lokpal Bill. Various versions of the bill had been debated for 62 years. A series of financial scandals conceived and exercised by politicians and bureaucrats suggested the government had been operating in a continuum of corruption. The country was ripe for a new hero who could become its rallying point.

As many have pointed out, the national support for Anna was not centred upon his version of the Lokpal Bill but his war-cry against corruption. And so as Anna fasted, the streets filled. Stumped, as if it had no suggestion of the people's frustration with graft, the government fumbled, then agreed to Anna's first demands: that the Lokpal Bill would be introduced before the Monsoon Session of Parliament ended, and that Anna and his team would help write it.

It was a dangerous precedent, the government stressed, for non-elected representatives to play a formal role in legislation. But the steely force and expanse of the support for Anna forced it to bend. So five ministers were married with Anna and four of his nominees in a drafting committee to write the bill.

The divorce, as expected, was swift and harsh. After private meetings that ended with public accusations, both sides decided to deliver different versions of the Lokpal Bill. Team Anna said the government was obliged to render both versions in Parliament. The government, in a decision that has haunted it since, reduced Anna's version to a footnote and earlier this month, tabled its own draft. The Opposition, like Anna, questioned the government's decision to exempt the Prime Minister's Office from the purview of the Lokpal. As the BJP's Arun Jaitley said, "Should the world's largest democracy suffer a corrupt PM?"

Team Anna prepped for battle. It declared Anna would start a new hunger strike on August 16 and asked India to participate in "a second freedom struggle." The government shot itself repeatedly in the foot to block the protest. Congress members attacked Anna's reputation, party spokesperson Manish Tewari said he was "seeped in corruption from head to toe."

Anna was denied several locations in Delhi for his mass-protest; then he was granted a park where he was told the crowd had to be limited to 5000 people. When he said he would not follow these restrictions, he was arrested on August 16 and moved to Delhi's high-security Tihar Jail, famous once for hosting the most hardened criminals, and more recently, several politicians accused of bare-faced corruption. The government could not have created a worse PR nightmare for itself. Anna announced his fast had begun. Demonstrations began across the country. Fumbling for an eject button, the government blamed the Delhi Police for arresting Anna; his release was sanctioned the same night.

And then Anna pulled a switcheroo. He refused to leave jail till the government agreed to let him hold his protest without any conditions for how many people could attend or how long he could fast. Ramlila Maidan in Central Delhi was hastily made-over despite the Delhi rain and slush. Four days after he had entered Tihar Jail, Anna emerged, waving from the top of a truck. With close to 2000 people following him, he stopped at Mahatma Gandhi's memorial at Rajghat before arriving to a hero's welcome at his camp on a Friday morning.

That weekend, Anna's drawing power blazed. Unprecedented numbers of people marched from India Gate to Ramlila Maidan. Twice a day, Anna addressed them, always urging them to stay peaceful, and constantly underlining, "Whether I am here or not, you must continue the fight. The torch of revolution has been lit. Don't let anyone extinguish it."

Doctors checked Anna regularly. By Tuesday evening, they said his condition was worrying. The Prime Minister wrote to Anna urging him to end his fast. The government deputed two ministers, Pranab Mukherjee and Salman Khurshid, to talk to Anna's representatives: Prashant Bhushan, Arvind Kejriwal and Kiran Bedi. When the talks headed into vertiginous turf, the Prime Minister finally intervened.

Widely criticised for refusing to comment or in any way address the nation throughout the crisis, on Thursday, Dr Manmohan Singh finally chose Parliament and a debate on corruption to speak about Anna. After paying tribute to Anna, the Prime Minister offered that Parliament could begin a debate on the Jan Lokpal Bill.

The government also decided that Anna's aides were part of the problem. So the PM sent a message directly to Anna through Vilasrao Deshmukh. A senior leader from Maharashtra who has also served twice as Chief Minister, Mr Deshmukh has handled Anna's fasts in his home state on six different occasions. The activist and he share a good rapport. It was agreed that parliament would immediately begin a debate on the Lokpal, and it would focus mainly on Anna's vision of the agency.

Yesterday morning, a compromise glimmered tantalizingly as Pranab Mukherjee initiated the debate. The Opposition's Sushma Swaraj delivered a memorable speech which urged MPs to prove to the country that a healthy debate can be conducted without noisy protests or acrimonious exchanges.

Just when it seemed like Anna had what he needed to call off his fast, his associates demanded that the discussion in parliament be followed by a resolution and a vote. The BJP said if that's what it would take to win Anna, it was willing to go along. The Prime Minister consulted with senior ministers and Ms Swaraj as well as LK Advani. The close coordination between the Opposition and the government on this crucial Saturday was memorable.

That paved the way for a debate and unanimous approval for a resolution accepting Anna's three must-have demands. As Pranab Mukherjee presented the resolution and members of both Houses thumped their desks as one, the Indian Parliament scripted its own bit of history.

Anna Hazare Biography

Anna Hazare is a social activist of India who currently came into news while he began a “fast unto death”. He was also an Indian army soldier. He is particularly known for his contribution in Ralegan Siddhi development which is situated in Ahmednagar district, Maharashtra. Anna succeeded in the mission to make the village perfect and ideal for others. In 1992, Government of India awarded him the prestigious “Padma Bhusan” award.

• Name: Kisan Bapat Baburao Hazare
• Famous Name: Anna Hazare
• Date of Birth: 15th January, 1940
• Birth Place: Bhingar, Maharashtra, India
• Religion: Hinduism
• Nationality: Indian
• Spouse: Unmarried
• Father: Baburao Hazare
• Mother: Smt. Laxmibai Hazare
• Political Movements: RTI (right to information) Act, Watershed Development Programme, Anti corruption movement
• Achievements: Indira Priyadarshini Vrikshamitra award in 1986, Krishi Bhushana award in 1989, Padmashri award in 1990, Padmabhushan award in 1992 and Rabindranath Tagore International Peace Prize in 2011.

Anna's family was very poor at the time of his birth. His grandfather was in the army who was positioned at Bhingar while his father was an uneducated labourer in Ayurveda Ashram Pharmacy. In 1945, his grandfather died but his father remained at Bhingar. Anna’s father leaved his job in 1952 and came back to Ralegan Siddhi. At that time, Anna had finished his education till 4th standard and had 6 younger siblings. The financial condition of his family was tough.

Anna’s aunt who was childless took him to Mumbai and took care of him as well as his education. In Mumbai, Anna completed his studies up to 7th standard and started to do a job because of the bad financial condition of the family. He began to sell flowers at Dadar earning around 40 rupees per month. He began his own flower shop and also brought his 2 brothers to Mumbai to join him in the business. Slowly his income increased around 700 to 800 rupees per month.
Career:

In 1963, Anna began his career in the Indian Army. Anna was posted to number of states such as Bhutan, Sikkim, Assam, Mizoram, Jammu-Kashmir, Leh and Ladakh during his 15year possession as a soldier. In 1965, at that time of Indo-Pak war he was posted at the Khemkaran border. Pakistan started air attacks on Indian base on 12th November, 1965 and all the companions of Anna became martyrs. 1 bullet had conceded by his head so that was an encounter with death for Hazare. The way of his life altered after that incident. He determined to dedicate himself in the service of humanity. Anna took voluntary retirement in 1978 and came back to the village, Ralegan Siddhi.

Anna once contemplated suicide as he became frustrated with life. He had even written a 2 page essay on why he desired to finish his life. One day at railway station of New Delhi Anna came across a book on Swami Vivekananda and at once he bought it. Vivekananda’s photograph on the cover inspired him. He found all the answers of his questions as he began to read the book. The book motivated him to devote his life for the service of others. He understood that striving for the improvement of ordinary people is similar to offering a prayer to the God. He also read several books written by Acharya Vinoba Bhave and Mahatma Gandhi. In 1970, Anna told his parents regarding his verdict not to get married and requested them to arrange the marriage of his younger brothers.

Anna came back to Ralegan Siddhi village after the voluntary retirement from the Indian army. Anna used to visit the village for 2 months each year when he was in the army. He noticed the miserable circumstance of farmers because of water scarcity. He decided to implement a novel project of water management in Ralegan Siddhi. He guided the villagers to start working towards water conservation by keeping an eye on preserving each water drop and fertile soil erosion. As a result of that the level of ground water increased. To hold rainwater, canals and bunds were constructed which solved the scarcity of water and raised irrigation options in the village. Ralegan Siddhi village of Anna became the 1st example of an ideal village.
Social Life:

In 1991, Anna began Bhrashtachar Virodhi Jan Aandolan (BVJA) as he believed that the development is spoiled by corruption. It was found that by corruption in federations some 42 forest officers had cheated the government of state for crores of rupees. The proofs were submitted by Anna to the government but ruling party’s ministers were involved in the scam so the latter was disinclined to take action against all these officers. On the same issue, Anna again went on indefinite hunger strike in Alandi. Then, the government took action against the culprits. 6 ministers were enforced to leave the job as well as 400 officers from different government offices were returned to home.

In 1995, Anna forced Shiv Sena-BJP government to drop 2 state corrupt Cabinet Ministers. In 1998, he was also imprisoned in Yerawada Jail for 3 months. Anna began to fight for the Right to Information Act. He toured throughout the state to create awareness regarding RTI among the youth. For this law Anna agitated 10 times and when he noticed that Government is not ready to pass this law, he again started indefinite hunger strike in the early 2000s.

After 12-days, the draft of the Right to Information Act was signed by the President of India. For the making Right to Information Act-2005, the same draft was regarded as the base document. Anna raised the corruption charges in 2003 against 4 ministers of the Congress-NCP government but the government disregarded him. Then on 9th August 2003, Anna began his 'fast unto death' agitation and on 17th August 2003 he finished his fast.



On 5th April, 2011 Anna began a “fast unto death” to wake up the government for India. He forced Indian Government to put into practice a strong anti-corruption act as in “Jan Lokpal Bill”. Government of India ignored Anna in the starting but he got support from thousands of people after the 1st day was over. Medha Patkar, Kapil Dev, Kiran Bedi, Arvind Kejriwal, Swami Agnivesh, Jayaprakash Narayan, Swami Ramdev and Sri Sri Ravi Shankar also supported hunger strike. On 6th April 2011, Sharad Pawar resigned from the group of ministers created for examining the draft Lokpal bill 2010. All the demands of the movement were accepted by the Government of India on 8th April 2011 and Pranab Mukherjee appealed Anna to finish his hunger strike. On 9th April Anna finished his hunger strike by consuming lemon juice. Anna had also set a limit of 15 August 2011 to pass the Lokpal Bill in the Indian Parliament

BJP Fight Under Anna's Banner

There is allegations that BJP is instigating the Anna Hazare movement, and now putting more pressure on the government, the BJP has openly said it is ready to work with Anna.

"We will lower our flag and fight under Anna's banner for a corruption free India. Congress cannot rule over the country," BJP President Nitin Gadkari said.

Gadkari has also warned of a Bharat bandh if Anna's demand are not met.

"If Anna's demands are not met, we will not play politics, I will invite Anna's supporters to call for a Bharat bandh," he said.

The BJP backed the Jan Lokpal Bill but with certain amendments on Friday. The party gave notices in both houses of Parliament under rules which entail voting and wants the inclusion of the three conditions laid down by Anna Hazare to break his fast.