Hunger Striker Divides Indian Christians

August 16, 2011: Church leaders in India have denounced a plan by prominent activist Anna Hazare to go on a hunger strike against a proposed new anti-corruption law even as it is being debated in parliament. Hazare and his team members were detained on Tuesday morning before they could begin their protest, evoking anger among millions of their supporters nationwide.
“There is no justification for such agitation when the government has introduced a bill against corruption in parliament,” said Father Babu Joseph, spokesman of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India. Hazare launched a similar campaign in April demanding a law to create to check corruption, redress grievances and protect whistle-blowers. Following the protest, a bill to address the concerns was drafted but Hazare and his team raised objections to certain points. They wanted the prime minister and the judiciary to be covered by the bill, among other demands. John Dayal, a lay leader, said that “this dictatorial attitude shows that Hazare has no respect for democratic norms.” However, Samuel Jaikumar of the National Council of Christians in India said that though the bill is in parliament, the agitation by Hazare will force the government to formulate stronger legislation. Meanwhile, people in the states of Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Orissa, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu are carrying out rallies and demonstrations in support of Hazare.