Hazare to break fast on Sunday as Parliament bows to 'sticky' demands

Anna Hazare is expected to end his 12-day-long fast between 9 am and 11 am in the morning after the Lok Sabha, the lower house of Parliament, today adopted by a voice vote a resolution calling for the formulation of a strong Lokpal bill that in effect included the three key demands made by the civil society members led by Anna Hazare.

The key points in dispute were a 'citizen's charter' that would make government departments directly responsible for redressing people's complaints; bringing state Lokayuktas (anti-corruption ombudsmen) under the purview of the Lokpal; and making the lower bureaucracy accountable to the Lokpal.

There was a wave of jubilation at Delhi's Ramlila Maidan this evening, as it became almost certain that following the debate in Parliament and a decision to have a voice vote on the Lokpal issue.

Television reports earlier suggested that 74-year-old Hazare will break his fast sometime between 9am and 11am, after a joint session of Parliament passed a resolution accepting the three sticky points between the Hazare version of the Lokpal bill and the government version.

"Parliament approves in principle the three demands made by Anna Hazare in relation to the Lokpal bill," the resolution said. The issue will be settled by a voice vote, which is expected to approve the resolution.

Arvind Kejriwal, a member of 'team Anna' and a close Hazare confidante who is reputedly a hardliner, told the media, "We are OK with voice vote."