Annagiri wins, govt bends
Anna Hazare after the announcement of an agreement to issue a formal order to set up a joint committee
With anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare announcing that the government has agreed to all his demands, and that he would break his fast on Saturday morning, the four-day long impasse appeared to have ended.
“My people have informed me that the government has agreed to meet all my demands. Therefore I have decided to call off my fast tomorrow at 10.30,” Mr Hazare announced, claiming that it was a victory for the nation.
Pending a notification to constitute the 10-member joint committee to draft the Lokpal Bill, which will be made on Saturday, the government on Friday announced the names of the panel members. Finance minister Pranab Mukherjee will be the chairman and noted Supreme Court lawyer Shanti Bhushan from the civil society side would be co-chairman. The other members from the government would be Union home minister P. Chidambaram, HRD minister Kapil Sibal, law minister Veerappa Moily and minority affairs minister Salman Khurshid. From civil society Anna Hazare, former top cop Kiran Bedi, RTI activist Arvind Kejriwal and social activist Swami Agnivesh would be on the panel.
It would be noteworthy here to mention that the controversial Lokpal Bill has been gathering dust for 42 years, since 1969, when the idea of bringing in strong legislation was first mooted.
Mr Sibal, who led the government negotiators, welcomed Mr Hazare’s announcement and thanked him for it. “This is a victory for democracy. There was nothing as government versus civil society. All of us are on the same page against corruption,” he said. However, Mr Hazare’s emissaries, Ms Kiran Bedi and Swami Agnivesh, made it clear that the protest fast will not be ended till the government issues the order. The denouement came after Mr Hazare’s emissaries met ministers for a round of talks, the third in two days.
Earlier in the evening, while some claimed that the deadlock over the Lokpal Bill continued, other sections felt the issue would be resolved Saturday. A feeler is likely to be sent to Mr Hazare by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday.
Joining the chorus in support of Mr Hazare, the RSS on Friday also threw its weight behind the septuagenarian social activist. “The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh fully backs the anti-corruption fast unto death started by Anna Hazare. A letter of support was given on behalf of the organisation’s general secretary, Suresh Joshi, to Hazareji today,” RSS secretary Vaghesh Issar said here.
Meanwhile, the top leadership of the government and in the ruling Congress went into a huddle and several rounds of talks took place among the Prime Minister, Congress president Sonia Gandhi and several other senior ministers. Dr Singh even met President Pratibha Patil and apprised her of the government’s effort to resolve the issue.
Dr Singh held two rounds of discussions with Mrs Gandhi, her political secretary, Mr Ahmed Patel, Mr Mukherjee, Mr Kapil Sibal, Dr Veerappa Moily and Mr Khursheed as Mr Hazare declared a “Jail Bharo” agitation from April 12 in the afternoon.
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