Fasting -Thus far the only non-violent potent weapon for protest .

Finaly the government has relented and has agreed for a joint committee to be constituted for drafting the Lokpal bill ,consisting of 50 % members from the civil society . The comittee will also have a co-chairman from the civil society members. Government is expected to make a notification to this effect today .Once the notification is made Annaji would call off his fast .It took 85 plus hours of fasting by a 73 year old Ghandhian to make the government relent .Fasting was used by Gandhiji for manifold purposes.First and foremost, it enabled him to connect with his countrymen.It also made others to percieve it, as a powerful statement about his causes .It helped Gandhiji to unite and rally his country men to his causes and ideas.Similarly Annaji's fast galvanised the country .The common man was so dejected with large scale corruption in all spheres of life .The revelation of huge scams in the year 2010 by politician and beureacrats made him an helpless mute spectator. Annaji ignited the spark and it spread like a wild fire.No one resorts to hunger strike unless the injustice faced is intolerable.Annaji did not waver for a minute and was steadfast in his demands.'Fasting' is thus is the only non violent potent weapon available to the common man against perpetrators of wrong doings.With ethics in short supply,even after six decades of independence, 'fasting' as a form of protest is still relevant.

The government realised, Annaji's fast has to end,for very many obvious reasons .The stir was catching up with more and more people across the country and also across the globe in countries with sizeable Indian population.Social networking sites and the visual media helped more people to express their solidarity with the movement.The initial stand of the government appeared it will not 'give in' to Annaji ,because the provisions of the Lokpal bill drafted by the civil society recommended stringent punishment including life imprisonment to the corrupt and also confiscate the misappropriated wealth. More importantly it would be an autonomous body with powers to accept suo moto complaints from any one.This would be a death blow to the corrupt politicians and beuracrats.Lokpal Bill, proposed by the civil society group seeks to include the Prime Minister, Members of Parliament, bureaucracy and the judiciary within its ambit. With the number of protestors swelling day after day ,the writting on the wall was clear to the government.Prominent apolitical VIP's started lending their support to the movement .The government wanted this popular upsurge to subside as quickly as possible. Elections in the states of Tamilnadu,Kerala,West Bengal,Pondichery and Tripura are to take place on April 13th.It became obvious government wanted to  come to an agreement with the protestors before the elctions, fearing a backlash from the electorates on the Lokpal issue in the ensuing elections to the afore mentioned states.

It remains to be seen if the civil society members in the joint committee would be able to persuade the government representatives to agree , atleast ,to the most important provisions of the Jan Lokpal bill drafted by them. The representatives from the Civil society were announced by Annaji yesterday. They are Shanthi Bhushan,Santhosh Hegde,Arvind Kejriwal,Annaji and Prashant Bhushan.Shanthi bhushan would be the co-chairman from the civil society side.The government representatives are most likely to be Kabil Sibal,Pranab,Moily,Chidambaram and Salman Kurshid,with Pranab or Moily as co-chairman from government side.The committee will be notified formally by a government order, explaining its terms and references and conferring legislative authority ."Whatever is required to be done will be done by June 30 so that the draft legislation is introduced in parliament," said Sibal .

All said and done " it is a victory for the people of India " as said by Anna Hazare.Surely the Lokpal bill will instill fear among the corrupt and would serve as a deterrent for others.One hopes our politicians would not find ways to circumvent the provisions of the Lokpal bill.