NEW DELHI: The anti-corruption crusader, Mr Anna Hazare will end his 12-old-day fast at 10 am Sunday after the Parliament Saturday endorsed in principle three of his key demands to deal with corruption in a compromise between the government and the Gandhian.

Both, the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha went out of their way to discuss in a special sitting on Saturday an issue thrown up by the campaign of the 74-year-old activist who has been demanding enactment of the Jan Lokpal for which he started a fast from August 16. There was confusion at the end of the day-long debate in both the Houses as the Parliament was expected to vote a resolution.
Originally conceived as a resolution, the Parliament converted its agreement on three issues raised by Mr Hazare – citizen’s charter, lower bureaucracy under Lokpal through an appropriate mechanism and establishment of Lokayukta in the states - and to remit them to the Parliamentary Standing Committee for giving its recommendations.
In his communication to Mr Hazare, the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh conveyed to him that the Parliament has passed a resolution on the three issues raised by him and appealed to him to call off his fast.
Reacting to the Parliament’s action after the Union Minister, Mr Vilasrao Deshmukh handed over Dr Singh’s letter, Mr Hazare announced to the cheering crowds at Ramlila Maidan that “I wish to break my fast tomorrow at 10 am.”
“This victory of Jan Lokpal bill is a partial victory. A full victory is yet to be achieved,” he said while noting that parliamentarians have respected his three demands. “I congratulate them and express my gratitude to all MPs,” he said as celebrations broke out at the protest venue with crowds setting off fire crackers and dancing to the beating of drums and tunes of Lokpal anthem.
Mr Deshmukh was accompanied by Congress general secretary, Mr Vilas Muttemwar and East Delhi MP, Mr Sandeep Dikshit. After the Parliament expressing its ‘sense’, the Prime Minister said, “Parliament has spoken. The will of Parliament is will of the people.”
The rare action of the Parliament came after major political formations Congress and BJP got together in a bid to end the stalemate arising out of Mr Hazare’s campaign against corruption.
In the debate in both the Houses, the main Opposition backed the government’s stand seeking its help on discussing the three key demands of Mr Hazare. There was unanimity that the Constitution was supreme and the parliamentary procedures supremacy in law making cannot be questioned.
Though Mr Hazare’s commitment on anti-corruption was appreciated, a number of speakers attacked the statements made by his campaign managers on political parties, politicians and sometimes the Parliament itself.
Mr Pranab Mukherjee, the Finance Minister and government’s chief negotiator, said he was happy that the impasse has been resolved which was created by the fasting of Mr Anna Hazare.
Winding up the day-long debate, Mr Mukherjee said while a “respected” Gandhian with “massive support” was on agitation, it was not always necessary to move in “conventional straight jacket way.”
After the ‘Sense of the House,’ Mr Mukherjee said, “I do feel that on the basis of that, we can request Anna Hazare to end his fast so that the so-called conflict between civil society, Parliament or political parties” ends. He asserted that the Parliament was supreme and law-making was its domain alone while others could give suggestions.