Anna Hazare

[NeedSomeAnswers]

For those of you who dont know Anna Hazare is an activist in India who recently went on Hunger strike in order to get the Indian government to do something about the high level's of corruption (it seems mainly monetary) found in government. (in some places he has even been compared to Gandhi due to the nature of his non-violent and even pacifist protests.)

He was arrested but if anything this act increased public support and caused the government huge embarrassment. Recently the Indian government appears to have accepted some of Hazare's demands designed to fight corruption in government departments.

So my question is this, firstly to those who actually live in India, what do you think of Hazare? and do his methods seem to be working?

and secondly can anyone think of another country in the world where a man going on hunger strike can force a whole government to change policy?

[abhijit]

Anna has brought the Government to it's knees.

If the "LokPal" is appointed, he will have too much power in his hands. So it will be a matter of time, before he is corrupted.

[FunkyDexter]

where a man going on hunger strike can force a whole government to change policy?

The one that instantly springs to mind for me would be the hunger strikers in the Maze prison in the late 70s/early 80s. They didn't effect immediate change but they certainly changed the dialogue around Ireland and its political prisoners and I think you could easily trace a path forward from there to the peace talks in the 90s.

Another obvious example would be the sufragettes in the 20s.