Anna Hazare speaks at his village of Ralegan Siddhi in Maharashtra after Lokpal Bill was passed in Rajya Sabha
Minutes after the Rajya Sabha passed the Lokpal and Lokayukta Bill 2013, 76-year-old Gandhian activist Anna Hazare announced in his Maharashtra village that he would call off his hunger-strike once the Lok Sabha passes the anti-corruption legislation.
The Bill is scheduled to come up for debate and voting in the Lower House tomorrow and Anna, who has been fasting for the last eight days, thanked political parties for taking what he called a "revolutionary step in the Rajya Sabha" and said he is "confident that the Lok Sabha will pass the Bill too."
His optimism is not misplaced. The Bill sailed through the Upper House today, after a five-hour discussion, with main opposition party BJP and the Left supporting it.
The Samajwadi Party, which provides external support to the Congress-led UPA government, said it opposes the Bill but staged a strategic walkout rather than disrupt the House after the government's floor managers persuaded it to tone down its stance. The party's Ram Gopal Yadav voiced his objection before its eight MPs walked out.
Anna said the setting up of a Lokpal or national ombudsman body would help the common man get justice. "This will reduce corruption by 40 to 50 percent... it is important that government control of the CBI has been removed," he said.
The Lokpal will be an independent body empowered to investigate corruption charges against public functionaries.
In 2011, a 16-day hunger strike by Anna Hazare in Delhi drew thousands of people every day, and impelled street protests in other cities.
In December, 2011, the Lokpal Bill was cleared by the Lok Sabha but was stalled in the Rajya Sabha. It was then sent to a parliamentary committee for review. The amended version was introduced and passed in the Rajya Sabha today.