Civil society to boycott Lokpal panel meeting
Agitated over the treatment meted out to Baba Ramdev, Anna Hazare-led civil society on Sunday announced a day-long nationwide hunger strike on Wednesday in protest and decided to boycott the meetings of Lokpal drafting committee in another showdown with the government.
Accusing the government of having suspicious intent with regard to dealing with corruption, Mr. Hazare said the civil society would defy prohibitory orders on Wednesday at Jantar Mantar to protest the police action against Baba Ramdev’s movement.
However, Mr. Hazare said he has “some issues” with the yoga guru and would not share the dais with him at Jantar Mantar.
“We have been interacting with this government in the Joint Committee for the last one and a half months. The incidents of the last night and the proceedings of earlier meetings clearly make government’s intentions in dealing with corruption suspect.
“The government has been trying to crush anti-corruption movement. We have therefore decided not to attend Joint Committee meetings,” he told a press conference.
Mr. Hazare said his side was writing a letter to Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, who is the chairman of the joint drafting committee on Lokpal Bill, asking the government to make its stand public on some of the key issues related to the anti-corruption legislation.
“We have already made our stand clear on these issues. After we receive government’s response, we will decide whether any useful public purpose would be served in attending joint committee meetings,” he said.
On Baba Ramdev, the Gandhian said he has to “sort out” the issues with the yoga guru before sharing the same platform for any protests. However, he was quick to add that he supported the issue of black money raised by Baba Ramdev.
Asked how he plans to go ahead with his June 8 protest, Mr. Hazare said, “How can the government stop anyone from protesting? The land is not their ‘father’s property.’ The citizens are the masters and the ministers are their servants.”
Live telecast of Lokpal meet
Mr. Hazare also put another pre-condition for attending the joint committee meetings. “In view of government’s barbaric actions, since its intentions to remove corruption have become suspect, we will attend any future meetings of the joint committee only if they were telecast live.”
“If the Government hesitates in bringing a strong Lokpal Bill, we will be left with no option but to go back to Jantar Mantar,” he said.
He said, if the government does not learn the lesson, a bigger agitation will be launched, emphasising the need for launching a “second freedom struggle.”
Comparing the government’s crackdown on Baba Ramdev’s supporters to the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, the Gandhian questioned, “What is the difference between the British autocracy and today’s democracy?”
When asked if the government should resign over last night’s incident, Mr. Hazare said, “What would happen if the government changes? They are all the same. The new leaders will be the brothers of the old one.”
Joint Committee co-chair Shanti Bhushan demanded that the Prime Minister explain the reasons that provoked the police action on Baba’s supporters last night and said if the government doesn’t make its stand clear, another nationwide agitation will be launched.
“Last night’s brutal assault of the government reminds one of the Emergency. It is almost an Emergency-like situation. Today is June 5, the Sampoorn Kranti Diwas. People of this country rose against government injustice 35 years back. Time has come for the people to similarly rise against corruption,” Shanti Bhushan said.
Social activist Arvind Kejriwal maintained that the Hazare group is supporting the demands raised by Baba Ramdev and is not in favour of any group or a political party.
“We aren’t supporting any individual or a party. We are fighting in favour of a cause,” Mr. Kejriwal said.
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