For a 74 year old ex-army personnel turned anti-corruption crusader fasting is not new. The seven-day-old hunger strike at the Ramlila Maidan is Anna Hazare's 16th fast since 1980 — 13 to protest against the Maharashtra government and three against the Centre.
According to the Maharashtra Government, Hazare had gone on fasts demanding more powers for the gram sabha, improper functioning of cooperative credit societies, right to information, corruption, Adarsh Gram Yojana, ban on alcoholism, sub-standard roads and punctuality and attendance of employees at government offices.
His agitation led to resignation of six Cabinet ministers in Maharashtra while more than 450 government officials faced disciplinary actions.
He went on a day-long fast in 1980 demanding a secondary school in his village Ralegan Siddhi in Ahmadnagar district. This was followed by a fast on June 7-8, 1983, against the administration's lackadaisical approach in implementing thew Gram Vikas Yojana in the village. After assurances from the zilla parishad chief executive officer, Hazare broke his fast.
During 20-24, 1989, Hazare sat on fast to support farmers’ demand for irrigation schemes in Ralegan Siddhi. The government relented and approved a Rs 4 crore irrigation scheme. Later, Hazare sat on a fast for nine days on November 20-28, 1989, demanding power supply for a farmers' irrigation scheme. The Sharad Pawar-led government cleared a Rs 5 crore scheme.
Hazare also sat on a fast against corruption in 1994 protesting against corruption in the forest department. He was on fast for four days but later withdrew it on May 1 after the government suspended four forest officials and the state government assured action against 10 officials.
During the Shiv Sena-BJP rule, Hazare went on fast for 12 days from November 20, 1996 to press for action against corrupt ministers. The government was forced to ask former ministers Mahadev Shivankar and Shashikant Sutar to resign from the state Cabinet.
Hazare continued his fight against corruption and went on a fast in 1997 to protest against misappropriation of funds in the schemes implemented for backward classes. The saffron alliance government was left with no alternative but to ask the then social welfare minister Babanrao Gholap to resign. The government also suspended 18 officials.
However, Gholap filed a defamation suit against Hazare and the court sentenced the activist to three months jail. Hazare had gone on a fast for nine days in August 1998. Subsequently, in the 1999 assembly polls the Congress-NCP combine assumed power defeating the NDA alliance.
In 2003, Hazare launched an agitation to press for right to information. The Congress-led government relented and enacted the Right to Information Act.
However, its implementation was caught in red tape which made Hazare launch yet another protest in February 2004 for nine days. The government amended the Act to remove procedural hassles and red tapisim. In August 2004, Hazare launched another agitation against the Centre's move to amend the RTI Act.
In 2006, Hazare sat on another fast demanding the implementation of the Justice P B Sawant Commission report which had probed the corruption cases against former ministers Padmasinh Patil, Suresh Jain, Nawab Malik and Vijaykumar Gavit. The government assured action against them. Despite the government's assurance no action was initiated against the four ministers and Hazare launched a fresh agitation and went on fast for the 13th occasion.
Subsequently, action was taken against Patil. His 14th fast was on March 16-20, 2010 when Hazare protested against corruption in the cooperative sector.
The government later initiated move to amend the cooperative laws. Hazare came to the limelight when he sat on fast for the 15th time in April 5-9 2011 at Jantar Mantar to press for the Jan Lokpal Bill. The government agreed to form a committee with representations from a five-member civil society team including Hazare.
