Anna Hazare Calls Off Indefinite Hunger Strike On Farm Laws A Day Before Its Scheduled Start

Social activist Anna Hazare has called off his indefinite fast against the recently passed farm laws after a meeting with union minister of state for agriculture Kailash Choudhary and former Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, Times of India reports.

Choudhary later revealed that Hazare’s nominated members will participate in a high-level committee that will present a report on the 84-year-old’s demands within six months. Hazare had earlier announced that he will kick start his hunger strike from his Ralegan Siddhi village from Ahmednagar in Maharashtra.

He had said that he made five unsuccessful attempts to communicate Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar to apprise them of the difficulties of the farmers. Hazare even said that he had been demanding reforms in the agriculture sector for long but he believed that the central government wasn’t taking appropriate decisions.

“The Union government has agreed to some of my demands and also announced setting up a committee to improve the lives of farmers. I have decided to suspend my proposed indefinite fast starting from Saturday,” Hazare said.

He had asked the government to implement the recommendations of the M S Swaminathan committee while alleging that the farmers aren’t getting sufficient monetary returns for their crops.

“The Union government has agreed to some of my demands and also announced setting up a committee to improve the lives of farmers. I have decided to suspend my proposed indefinite fast starting from Saturday,” he said following the meeting with Choudhary and Fadnavis.

Upon apprehensions on his credibility on proceeding with the strike, Hazare said that he can trust the union government to look into the implementation of the concerned reforms.

“He also told us that agriculture budget should be increased. I can tell you that we have significantly increased the agriculture budget. We have appointed a high-level committee that will consist of members of Niti Ayog and persons nominated by Hazare. It will submit its report in six months,” Choudhary was quoted in the report.