India's Rahul Gandhi broke his silence on the face-off between the government and a hunger-striking anti-corruption campaigner on Friday, praising the activist in a speech aimed at flexing his muscle as the emerging leader of the ruling Congress party.
The speech by the Gandhi family scion, who is widely seen as the prime minister-in-waiting, came as parliament will likely debate on Saturday demands made by Anna Hazare to end his 11-day-old fast, which has united millions of Indians against the government.
Gandhi, 41, has spent the last few years travelling across the country to take up the cause of poor farmers, a bedrock of Congress' voter support. He has rarely spoken on national issues, focusing instead on the party's youth organisation. But the undisclosed illness of his mother, Sonia Gandhi, elevated him in August into a quartet of Congress leaders, and put him under pressure to show leadership qualities that will help the centre-left party win the next 2014 general election.
While Hazare's protest has galvanised India's growing urban middle class, Gandhi aimed his speech more at India's poor. "We are all aware that corruption is pervasive. It operates at every level. The poor may carry its greatest burden but it is an affliction that every Indian is desperate to be rid off," Gandhi, speaking in English, told a raucous parliament. While praising 74-year-old Hazare, he also criticised the movement for setting "a dangerous precendent for a democracy" by trying to dictate their demands to parliament.
He called for regulation against corruption over land, mining and ration cards, issues which affect the poor. He also proposed reforming election funding, a root cause of political corruption. "In the last few months, Anna has helped the people to articulate this same sentiment (against corruption). I thank him for that," Gandhi said as his sister, Priyanka, sat watching. Hazare has emerged as a lightening rod for widespread anger at a political class seen as arrogant and out of touch. Politicians from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to Gandhi appeared outmanoeuvred by the extent of the protests.