Anna Hazare postpones hunger strike over Lokpal demand

Social activist Anna Hazare, who was scheduled to go on hunger-strike from Tuesday, postpones the agitation after talks with Maharashtra minister Girish Mahajan, according to news agency ANI. He was to sit on hunger over demand for appointment of Lokpal and welfare measures for farmers.

Anna Hazare had said he is firm on his decision to sit on a hunger strike from October 2 at his village in Ralegan Siddhi in Maharashtra. The reason for his fast, he said, was the government's inaction over setting up of anti-corruption ombudsman 'Lokpal'. Hazare had written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi about his plan to sit on hunger strike claiming that the BJP-led government at the Centre came to power because of the Lokpal agitation.

In his letter to the prime minister, Mr Hazare alleged that in the last four years the government kept dilly-dallying and did not appoint the Lokpal and Lokayuktas.