Hazare agrees to end fast

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NEW DELHI: Indian hunger-striker Anna Hazare, who has led a huge public campaign against corruption, has agreed to end his fast on Sunday morning after forcing concessions from lawmakers, a spokesman told this news agency.

"Anna Hazare has agreed to break his fast tomorrow morning. He is happy with the government resolution, agreeing to his provisions," spokesman Vibhav Kumar said.

Hazare, a 74-year-old social activist who said he was ready to die for his cause, had demanded that parliament agree to a tough new anti-graft law.

The increasingly frail Gandhi devotee had set three conditions for ending his protest, including putting the country's bureaucracy under the authority of an independent anti-corruption agency and the establishment of an ombudsman in all 29 states.

He also had demanded that a citizen's charter, explaining the rights of individuals, be posted in government offices.

After a day-long debate in parliament on how to tackle the political crisis, which caught the government by surprise, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said lawmakers had agreed to them in principle. (AFP)