New Delhi - An Indian activist on a hunger strike that sparked a popular campaign against corruption said on Saturday that he was feeling physically weak but resolved in his demand that the government adopt his version of a bill setting up an anti-graft watchdog.
Hundreds surrounded Anna Hazare on his fifth day of a fast that began Tuesday in jail after his arrest for planning a protest without police approval. He was released within hours but refused to leave the jailhouse until police eventually granted him permission for a 15-day public fast - a protest he has called a “revolution” and “new freedom struggle.”
“The funds in government treasuries are ours,” the 73-year-old Hazare said Saturday from a concrete stage in front of a giant photograph of Indian freedom fighter Mohandas K. Gandhi. “The treasuries are not threatened by thieves but by those who guard it.”
Affecting the same clothes and protest tactics as Gandhi, Hazare has captured 24-hour news coverage and mesmerised Indians fed up with the bribery and favouritism that have become routine at all levels of government.
Both the government and main opposition have been sullied by a string of scandals in the past year.
Hazare has said the government's legislation for an anti-graft ombudsman is not strong enough and should cover the judiciary and prime minister's office as well as other offices.
“I feel a little weak,” he said Saturday, having reported a loss of 7.5 pounds (3.5 kilograms) since starting the fast. “But there is nothing to worry about it. The fight will go on.”
Hazare threatened Friday to fast to death unless Parliament passes his legislation by August 30. His aides said they were seeking dialogue with the government toward this goal, but had not yet been approached by officials.
Meanwhile, a lack of water at the protest venue led hundreds to seek medical attention Friday for symptoms of heat stroke. - Sapa-AP