Delhi bishop disagrees with Anna Hazare on continuing fast

Delhi Archbishop Vincent M Concessao, a founder member of 'India against Corruption' which is spearheading Anna Hazare's protest, today disagreed with the Gandhian on his decision to continue with his fast and warned against "subverting democratic processes".

Acknowledging that the tremendous response to Hazare's appeal shows how prevalent corruption is, Concessao said, "We cannot set aside the democratic processes.

"I am in favour of fasts to make a point but fast-unto- death is not acceptable as life is a gift of God and God alone has the right to take it away. We are supposed to preserve and promote life," he said in a statement. However, he said the country needs an an effective Lokpal to deter people from corruption as a first step towards a corruption-free India.

He said he was of the opinion that much more has to be done in terms of value education and conscience formation in the days to come.

"What we need is the education of our parliamentarians so that they can amend the Lokpal Bill to ensure its effectiveness in practical terms. That would ensure the responsiveness of our parliamentarians to the needs and aspirations of the people they represent," he said.