Anna Hazare, the 74-year-old retired soldier-turned-Gandhian crusader for probity in public life, broke his 12-day fast here this morning after India’s Parliament last night agreed in principle to include some of his key suggestions in a bill to create a strong Lokpal, or ombudsman, to curb rampant corruption in the country.
The dimunitive activist accepted a glass of tender coconut water mixed with honey from two little girls Simran and Ikrah—-a Dalit and a Muslim—- — at 10:20am on the dais at the Ramlila Ground ending over 288 hours of fast that began on August 16.
As a smiling Anna sipped from a steel glass, people in Ramlila Maidan cheered and hugged each other while some sang “Desh ke pyare Anna Hamare” (India’s beloved Anna Hazare).
After a brief address, Hazare was driven straight to Medanta Medicity run by eminent cardiologist Dr Naresh Trehan, who was attending to him along with his team during his entire period of fast. Hazare will stay in the hospital for two-three days.
It is a victory of the people, Anna Hazare said as he broke his fast and thanked his supporters for the “success” of his nationwide anti-corruption campaign.
“I have only suspended my agitation. I will not rest until all the changes that I look to are achieved,” he said to a thunderous applause from thousands of his supporters waving tricolour and shouting slogans like ‘Long Live Anna Hazare ‘.
Flanked by his team members, including Shanti Bhushan, Prashant Bhushan, Arvind Kejriwal, Kiran Bedi and Manish Sisodia, Hazare said what has been achieved in Parliament on Saturday is a victory of the people of India, democracy and those assembled in Ramlila Ground.
Maintaining that People’s Parliament is bigger than “Parliament in Delhi”, Hazare said that is why Parliament had to listen to people’s Parliament.
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