A self-styled Gandhian activist, whose campaign against corruption united millions of Indians, is to end his 12-day hunger strike after the government agreed to his demands for tougher legislation.
Flanked by members of the ruling Congress party, Anna Hazare (74), told tens of thousands of supporters in New Delhi this evening that he would end his hunger strike tomorrow morning.
His statement came after the Indian parliament expressed non-binding support for a series of anti-corruption proposals he was supporting.
Finance minister Pranab Mukherjee told both chambers of parliament that there was support for putting forward tougher anti-corruption legislation.
Mr Hazare's protest has tapped a groundswell of public anger against endemic corruption, uniting the country's bulging middle-class against the hapless government and underlining voter anger at prime minister Manmohan Singh.
Mr Hazare, a former army corporal from western India, has a reputation for honesty and has carried out decades of selfless work for the poor and downtrodden .
Fasting is an accepted form of protest in India made popular by Mahatma Gandhi during his fight for Indian independence from colonial rule in the early 20th century. It is aimed principally at securing the high moral ground over a significantly formidable adversary.