Indian hunger striker demands action on graft

Indian activist Anna Hazare, whose anti-graft hunger strike in August attracted huge public support, held a one-day fast on Sunday demanding the government do more to tackle corruption. Hazare's 12-day fast four months ago unleashed an outpouring of frustration among Indians over bribes paid in all types of transactions ranging from getting a baby's birth certificate to tenders for infrastructure projects. He returned to New Delhi for a one-day symbolic hunger strike to protest against the government's draft of a new anti-corruption law, which he said was "toothless" legislation that exempted many key officials. "We will take our protest to the streets if a strong bill is not brought in," he told a crowd of several thousand supporters. "If the government brings in a weak bill, the other political parties must join hands with the people of this country who are ready to come out and support us," he said. During his fast in August, millions of Indians rallied across the country to support Hazare, a 74-year-old former army truck driver who has modelled his image on Indian independence leader Mahatma Gandhi. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's administration was unnerved by the demonstrations as Hazare became increasingly weak due to lack of food before he was persuaded to halt his protest. On Sunday, Hazare visited Gandhi's memorial in Delhi before heading to the open-air venue, where a stage, sound system and crowd barriers had been set up for the event. Dressed in plain white clothes and his trademark cotton cap, he sat cross-legged in front of the Indian national flag during fiery speeches from fellow activists attacking the "watered-down" anti-graft bill. Premier Singh himself has been tainted by a series of corruption scandals, with a former minister currently on trial over the mis-selling of telecom licences that cost the treasury up to $39 billion in lost income. Hazare has raised the stakes in his battle with the government by threatening to go on an indefinite fast in Delhi from December 27 if lawmakers do not concede to his demands over the Lokpal (Ombudsman) bill. The ruling Congress party reacted by taking a harder line against the veteran campaigner, with a party spokesman on Sunday describing Hazare's tactics as undemocratic and "insulting parliament". Singh has endured a difficult period in office over the past year, and he now faces the prospect of more rallies in support of Hazare when the activist starts fasting again at the end of this month. Corruption has become one of the hottest topics in Indian politics, while Singh, 79, has been badly weakened by slowing economic growth, a U-turn on retail reform and near-constant deadlock in parliament. Hazare said that India's rulers must listen to ordinary people "struggling with corruption in everyday life", and urged voters to reject Singh's Congress party in state elections next year. "There is no true democracy in the country because the power is concentrated in the hands of a few. This is dictatorship," he said. "We have to bring about a change." The government intends to pass its version of the anti-corruption bill during the current session of parliament, which ends on December 21.