{"id":10045,"date":"2011-08-20T05:08:53","date_gmt":"2011-08-20T05:08:53","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2011-08-20T05:08:53","modified_gmt":"2011-08-20T05:08:53","slug":"Thousands-gather-to-support-Indian-anti-graft-fast","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/?p=10045","title":{"rendered":"Thousands gather to support Indian anti-graft fast"},"content":{"rendered":"

Indian activist Anna Hazare’s anti-corruption hunger strike drew thousands of supporters to central New Delhi on Saturday as his populist campaign sought to face down the government.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The 74-year-old spoke briefly to the 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.<\/p>\n

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 a boiling point.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Singh today struck a conciliatory note after previously dismissing Hazare’s tactics as undemocratic.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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 seven pounds<\/strong> after refusing food since his arrest on Tuesday.<\/p>\n

Scenes of frenzied celebration erupted as Hazare travelled to the venue yesterday. But his campaign organizers face a challenge in sustaining momentum due to the long holiday weekend and muggy monsoon weather.<\/p>\n

Several thousand people ranging from students to farm workers massed to witness Hazare’s fast on Saturday, but numbers were lower than some observers predicted after a vast spontaneous pro-Hazare rally in Delhi during the week.<\/p>\n

Source AFP<\/em>
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