The anti-corruption hunger strike by Indian activist Anna Hazare drew thousands of supporters to central New Delhi yesterday as his populist campaign sought to face down the government.
The 74-year-old spoke briefly to crowds from a high podium before he reclined on cushions to be feted with speeches, chanting and live music during the second day of his public fast.
“The fight will go on till we get a strong Lokpal (Bill),” Hazare said, referring to his demand that anti-corruption legislation being considered by parliament is strengthened.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s government has been left floundering by a national swell of support for Hazare’s campaign, with many Indians saying years of anger at corrupt officials had reached boiling point.
Singh yesterday struck a conciliatory note after previously dismissing Hazare’s tactics as undemocratic.
“We are open to discussion, dialogue, we would like a broad national consensus to emerge,” the premier told reporters. “There is a lot of scope for give and take.”
Public support for Hazare – particularly among the middle classes – soared when he was briefly arrested earlier this week before he was due to start his public fast.
“I think the business world is turning against the official culture,” said Somnath Mitra, an IBM managing consultant who attended the protest with company colleagues yesterday.
Mitra, 39, recalled being forced to pay 33,000 rupees (€500) in cash, for which he received no receipts, when registering two private properties last year.
“It was effectively a bribe to get my work done,” he said.
Hazare now has permission to hold his fast at Ramlila, a muddy open-air venue in Delhi, for 15 days, and he has said he has already lost three kilos after refusing food since his arrest last Tuesday.
Scenes of frenzied celebration erupted as Hazare travelled to the venue last Friday. But his campaign organisers face a challenge in sustaining momentum due to the long holiday weekend and muggy monsoon weather.
Several thousand people ranging from students to farm workers massed to witness Hazare’s fast yesterday, though numbers were lower than some observers predicted after a huge pro-Hazare rally in Delhi during the week.