Anna Hazare's announcement on calling off the agitationdemanding Lokpal Bill at 5 PM tomorrow came on a day when a group of eminentpersonalities, including jurist V R Krishna Iyer and former Army Chief Gen V KSingh, appealed for an end to the fast as the health of Arvind Kejriwal and twoothers deteriorated.
"We will end the fast tomorrow at 5 PM," Hazaresaid at the end of an address in which he enunciated the civil society'sapproach to forming a political alternative.
The end to the fast also comes in the wake of thegovernment's steadfast attitude in not engaging with Hazare and his team, ayear after both sides were involved in drafting a law and Parliament adopting a"sense of House" resolution on passage of Lokpal Bill.
On the earlier occasions in April and August last year, theGovernment appeared to have come under pressure from Hazare's protests whichdrew huge crowds in the capital and elsewhere.
The protest fast has been marked by low turnout,contradictory statements and levelling of wild charges against government andits functionaries. While Hazare refused to attack Pranab Mukherjee after hebecame President, his team members continued to level allegations against him.
Talking about providing an alternative to the currentsystem, Hazare ruled out launching or joining a political party but askedpeople to come out with ideas on how the alternative can be provided.
"It is time for us to think of an alternative. We wanta political alternative. But I will not launch or join a party.
People should decide who should be given tickets and how toachieve that alternative system," he said.
Questions still remained as to what Team Anna would doregarding the political alternative and whether they would launch a partythemselves.
Hazare said they have to see how candidates are to beselected to ensure that honest and clean people enter Parliament.
"I agree with people that there should be a politicalalternative. It should be a secular alternative. But when you talk about analternative, how we will ensure that only honest person are selected," hesaid.
In a similar refrain, Kejriwal said candidate selection isan issue. "We are apprehensive whether the alternative also becomes thesame as the present," he said.
In their appeal to Team Anna, the eminent persons said thegovernment has turned its back to the agitation and has also not shownpolitical will to punish corrupt people and the opposition also does not farewell on the issue.
"Do not expect anything from this political class. Werequest Anna Hazare and other fasting activists to channelise their efforts insetting up a political alternative, to give a responsive, democratic andnon-violent system," they said.
"Indian democracy needs a new direction. We requestpeople who are fasting to request this historical challenge and call off theirfast.
"Instead we call upon them to focus their energies oncreating an alternative political force that is democratic, accountable,ethical and non-violent and capable of leading an electoral revolution todemocratise and decentralise power and make the power structures of the countrymore accountable to people," the appeal said.
