Anna Hazare ends fast as the government concedes most of his demands on Lokpal Bill

Eugene Moodubelle
Bellevision Media Network

New Delhi, 9 April 2011: Anna Hazare, the crusader against corruption and the force behind the Jan Lopal Bill finally ended his fast at around 10.55 am on Saturday, 9 April 2011, symbolically accepting the juice from a little girl from the audience. Before breaking his own fast, Anna Hazare symbolically offered juice to his supporters  who had been fasting along with him in order to pressurise the government to accept the demands of Anna Hazare and other social activists to have a joint committee to draft the Lokpal Bill. 

 

As Anna Hazare made is clear that though the govenement had accepted most of his demands after negotiations yesterday, he would be ending his fast only after the government issued a formal notification, the government invited the representatives  of the activists and handed over the formal government gazette notification about the appointment of a joint committee to Swami Agnivesh in the morning who arrived at Jantar Mantar, the venue of the fasting of Anna Hazare and his supporters. 

Once, the notification was in hand, Anna Hazare agreed t break his fast. However, first he saw to it that his supporters who had been fasting for the cause broke their fast prior to his own breaking fast and offered them juice.

 

The Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh  expressed  happiness over the decision of Anna Hazare to give up  his fast and also said that he is happy to have reached the agreement as it augurs well for democracy.

 

Reaching  Jantar Mantar after  receiving the copy of the government notification, Swami Agnivesh said that we have got much more than what we had expected.  Anna Hazare said that it is the happiest day in his life. Still he cautioned the people saying, “Our fight does not end here, real fight begins now...this victory is because of the people...”

 

There will be a victory march in the evening at 6 pm on Saturday, 9 April 2011 at the India gate.