Church urges calm over Hazare protests

(August 18, 2011) The head of the Catholic bishops in India appealed for calm and flexibility on Thursday to resolve a growing crisis over a proposed anti-graft bill. “There should not be a hardening of stances on both sides. We should all work together for good governance,” Cardinal Oswald Gracias said. Anti-corruption activists led by Anna Hazare and the federal government are embroiled in a bitter row over whether the prime minister and judiciary should be included in the bill. The standoff has resulted in some of the biggest protests in India in years. Hazare, along with around 1,300 supporters, was arrested at a protest in Delhi Monday night sparking outrage by the opposition and by supporters throughout the country. Protests intensified and swelled across India following Hazare’s arrest, later prompting the government to order his release. But Hazare refused to leave jail saying he would only do so if he gets permission to stage a “fast unto death” in Jai Prakash Narain Park, where he originally planned to hold a public hunger strike. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh later told MPs that Hazare wants to “impose a bill on parliament which is totally misconceived.” Calling for calm, Cardinal Gracias said: “We should find ways and work together to end corruption in the country.” Meanwhile, a Jesuit priest who heads an NGO in Gujarat also criticized the government’s and Hazare’s unwillingness to compromise. The future of the country should be the utmost priority for both the government and Hazare, said Father Cedric Prakash. He said Hazare should be looking at talks when “the government is admitting that it has made a mistake. Both sides should seek dialogue.”