No talks if activists forcefully removed: Anna Hazare

[1]

Team Anna and the government appeared headed for a showdown, after the Delhi police advised the organisers to hospitalise activists Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia and Gopal Rai, who had been on an indefinite fast for the past eight days.

Team Anna has opposed any forcible removal of fasting activists even though the Delhi police in its advice maintained that the organisers would be “squarely responsible” if anything untoward happens to them.

The Gandhian activist warned that he would not negotiate with the government if his aides were forcibly evicted from the fasting venue at Jantar Mantar. He also stated that there was a government conspiracy to end their protest.

Adopting militant posture, Team Anna asserted that the government has hatched a conspiracy to end their stir. They added that they had no faith in the government-run hospitals.

Mr Kejriwal, who maintained that he was not fasting to commit suicide but to press for his demands, said that there was a conspiracy to “kill him by getting admitted in a government hospital”.

Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh in the meantime has favoured a dialogue between Team Anna and the government. He, however, said that the talks should not be at “gunpoint”.

Meanwhile, the Delhi police in a letter to Team Anna member Neeraj Kumar, said doctors have advised that Mr Kejriwal, Mr Sisodia and Mr Rai need immediate medical intervention and be shifted to a hospital. “You are advised to follow the doctors’ recommendation to prevent harm to their lives and well-being, failing which you would be squarely responsible for any untoward incident,” additional commissioner of police (New Delhi) K.C. Dwivedi wrote in the letter.

At the same time, Dr T.S. Sidhu, medical superintendent of Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, said the physicians who examined the fasting activists have strongly advised that Mr Kejriwal, Mr Sisodia and Mr Rai be immediately moved to the hospital.

In the day, Team Anna held two rounds of discussions to finetune their strategy, while there were no signals from the government that there could be talks between the two sides.

It was stated at the venue that though Mr Kejriwal and Mr Rai were requested to end their hungerstrike and let other members carry on with the stir, the activists refused to heed to the advises.

Striking a confrontationist approach, Mr Hazare told his supporters that he would not call off his fast till a strong Lokpal bill is passed.

“A man may commit suicide when he is in trouble. What is troubling Arvind? He is fighting for the country. And this fight is creating trouble for the government and there could be a conspiracy to take them to hospital. But this won’t work,” said Mr Hazare.