Anna Hazare's aides said on Thursday that the 74-year-old activist would not break his fast until the government agreed to pass his stringent version of an anti-graft bill to create a Lokpal, or ombudsman, to watch over government officials and bureaucrats across the country. Hazare wants the watchdog to be given powers over the whole government and judiciary. The government has tabled its own bill while dismissing elements of Hazare's proposal as unworkable and unconstitutional.

Tens of thousands of protesters have taken to the streets of India to demonstrate their support for Hazare in recent days. Things came to a head after Hazare launched a public fast on an open stage in the capital, New Delhi, last week after being arrested.

'Strong elements' obstruct dialogue

Negotiations between the government and Anna's aides did show some positive signs on Wednesday but further talks lasting into the night then ended in a stalemate. Anna's team accused "some strong elements" in the government of nullifying the entire dialogue process. They complained they had become the victims of "internal politics" within the Congress party, which leads the United Progressive Alliance government at the center.

Arvind Kejriwal, a senior leader of Hazare's campaign, went so far as to mention those "strong elements" by name - Indian Home Minister P. Chidambaram and Human Resources Development Minister Kapil Sibal. Talking to reporters, he said they were "completely opposed to any kind of agreement or any kind of dialogue." He also suggested that chief government negotiator Pranab Mukherjee's views were being "ignored" within his own party.

Meanwhile, the prominent activist Kiran Bedi - who is on the core committee of Team Anna - raised the question of whom they could talk to or who might be in control. Indian Law Minister Salman Khurshid reacted sharply: "We were talking to them. If they have doubts, find somebody else," he said, whereas Finance Minister Mukherjee said Anna's representatives were "distorting" the facts.

A Gandhian protest, with repercussions

Ten days into his fast, Hazare's doctors have said that his blood pressure and heartbeat are stable but his ketone levels have come down. He himself has expressed concern that the might be arrested again and force fed.

Some of India's marginalized class have expressed the view that Hazare's protest is a middle–class movement that ignores the concerns of the "dalits," or the untouchables, and generally those from the lowest castes. Thousands of dalits were bussed into the capital on Wednesday to stage a counter-protest, signifying a further deepening of the conflict potential inherent in the whole issue.

Author: Arun Chowdhury (PTI, AP, AFP, dpa)

Editor: Anne Thomas