Social activist Anna Hazare on Thursday called off his indefinite hunger strike in New Delhi, reported ANI. Hazare said Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Union Minister of State for Agriculture Gajendra Singh Shekhawat have assured him that appointments of Lokpal at the Centre and Lokayuktas in the states would be made soon.
Hazare threatened to relaunch his protest if the government did not act within six months, reported PTI. “I will see till August and we will begin again in September. It should be done within a time frame,” he added. Apart from Lokpal, Hazare has also asked for the implementation of the Swaminathan Commission report, which suggests relief measures for the agrarian distress mainly in central India.
Hazare has been on fast since March 23. The activist said he was protesting as dozens of his letters to Prime Minister Narendra Modi had gone unanswered.
Hazare first went on a hunger strike to demand the anti-corruption ombudsman in 2011, during the rule of the United Progressive Alliance government. The 12-day strike was followed by another one in 2012, after which the government passed the Lokpal Bill.
In April 2017, the Supreme Court had criticised the government for the delay in the implementation of the Lokpal legislation. It had said the legislation passed to appoint the Lokpal was a workable one, and there was no need for the Centre to keep its implementation pending.
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