INDIA
It took a 74-year-old from Ralegan Siddhi to go hungry for 10 days to make the government accept his three demands, albeit with some changes.
It took a 74-year-old from Ralegan Siddhi in Maharashtra to go hungry for 10 days to make the UPA II government accept his three demands, albeit with some changes, on Thursday.
The rising anger — political and non-political — forced the government, especially the Congress, to field former Maharashtra chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh to negotiate with Anna Hazare on Thursday morning. Deshmukh is the only politician to have successfully convinced Anna to call off his fast twice in the past.
After speaking with prime minister Manmohan Singh, Deshmukh reached Ramlila Maidan in the afternoon and approached Hazare for a quick discussion. It was a tactical victory for the government and the Congress because Deshmukh managed to isolate Arvind Kejriwal, Prashant Bhushan and Kiran Bedi as he stole a few key minutes alone with Hazare and thrashed out a compromise.
A top government source told DNA that Deshmukh spoke to Hazare in Marathi and made an emotional appeal to him to withdraw the fast. “He called him the tallest leader from the state to achieve such national prominence,” the source said. “He also told Hazare that he would personally ensure his demands were met if he would break the fast.”
Within minutes, Hazare indicated he was ready to break his fast if the government would ensure to table a strong resolution in Parliament on Friday. The resolution, said the source, would ensure that most of the demands of Team Anna on the Lokpal Bill would be agreed upon.
“I have sent a message to the PM… If you want to pass the Jan Lokpal bill then start the discussion tomorrow morning,” Hazare told the crowd after meeting Deshmukh. “I have three demands. If there is support [for them], then I can consider ending the fast.”
His three demands were: include the entire bureaucracy, have Lok Ayuktas in all states with Lokpal powers, and post citizens charter in all government departments dealing with the public.
Hazare, however, said the agitation for a strong Lokpal would continue till government passed the bill.
After talking to Hazare, Deshmukh went back to finance minister Pranab Mukherjee’s office in the North Block and started drafting a letter that would be given to Hazare on behalf of the government.
The source said the government decided to keep the PM within the Lokpal’s ambit with some safeguards. The issue of Lokayuktas would be left to a committee of legal experts. The higher and lower bureaucracy too would be kept under the Lokpal.
The source said the breakthrough was the result of a series of phone calls between Team Anna and the government throughout Wednesday night, following a war of words between Kejriwal and Mukherjee.
The Delhi CM’s political secretary, Pawan Kheda, received a call after midnight from Team Anna asking for further negotiations. He immediately called in Salman Khurshid and East Delhi MP Sandeep Dikshit who had established a series of secret meetings three days ago.
As talks continued over the phone, the government managed to get Team Anna to agree to another meeting on Thursday afternoon. During the talks, Team Anna agreed to allow a committee of experts to examine the Jan Lokpal Bill. But it got stuck when Prashant Bhushan insisted that his father Shanti Bhushan be made a member of the committee.
NAC member Aruna Roy told government officials that Hazare had even expressed his willingness to resolve the issue. The source said he wanted to “take a decision independent of Kejriwal who had become very stubborn during the discussions”.
It took almost 14 meetings between government representatives and Team Anna to reach this far. For a while, the Congress had thought of taking a tough stand. But the party changed its strategy following the PM’s speech in Parliament. It was decided that the government would directly deal with Hazare and keep Kejriwal and others out of the loop.
DNA TV Show: Why Gautam Adani charged with bribery and fraud in US
IND vs AUS: Records Virat Kohli can break during Border-Gavaskar Trophy
Diljit Dosanjh fans get angry over Ananya Panday's birthday post for her grandmother, here's why
Reddit suffers outage with ‘upstream connect error’ message, says 'currently investigating...'
Border-Gavaskar Trophy: How has Jasprit Bumrah fared in Tests in Australia?
Delhi records coldest night of the season, temp drops to...
Crossing the Line: Ukraine's Use of Storm Shadow Missiles and the Escalation of Conflict
When Malaika Arora talked about the controversial ‘instant pleasure’ ad, it was for…
This is the world’s most expensive shopping street, not Fifth Avenue, New Bond Street, it is...
Big setback for Gautam Adani, Kenya cancels Rs 6216 crore deal with Adani Group due to...
Viral video: Man’s jugaad to stay warm in winter will leave you SHOCKED, watch here
Hinduja Group firm gets key approval for acquisition of Anil Ambani's debt-ridden Reliance Capital
Viral video: Middle-Class man lives dream of having tea at Taj Hotel, netizens applauds
Shloka Mehta looks stunning in white floral kurta as she clicked with Akash Ambani, it costs Rs....
Who is Sagar Adani, Gautam Adani's nephew, accused of bribery, fraud charges in US?
PayPal down: Several users face issue while logging into accounts, say 'no one could...'
IND vs AUS: Jasprit Bumrah, Pat Cummins eye historic captaincy milestone in Perth Test
BGT 2024, Ind vs Aus: Can Shubhman Gill be the new Cheteshwar Pujara? Is he really ready?
The Ultimate Guide to Luxury Gifting: Discover Heirloom Pashmina by Pashmina.com
Effortless Relocations: The Perks Of Professional Removalists In Melbourne
Watch: Pakistan fan with 'Imran Khan' poster asked to leave Hobart stadium in Australia
International Criminal Court issues arrest warrant against Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu for...
What is demisexuality? Everything you need to know about this lesser-known sexual orientation
WATCH: World’s shortest woman meets world’s tallest woman, video goes viral
IND vs AUS 1st Test: Predicted playing XIs, Perth weather forecast and pitch report
IND vs AUS: When will Rohit Sharma join India squad? Check latest update
'Scam 2024': Diljit Dosanjh lookalike pranks people on Pune streets, video goes viral
Delhi Air Pollution: Centre announces staggered work timings for govt employees; check details
Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Jio loses nearly 80 lakh subscribers in just 30 days, BSNL adds...
IND vs AUS, 1st Test Dream11 prediction: Fantasy cricket tips for India vs Australia match
This country has most expensive passport in world, not US, UK, UAE, it costs Rs...
Amitabh Bachchan opens up on Aishwarya Rai-Abhishek Bachchan divorce rumours
Amid rising air pollution, Delhi-NCR's crematorium records cleanest air; check AQI here
Revolutionising Medical Imaging: Venudhar Rao Hajari’s impact on healthcare technology
Abhishek Gupta and Onevision Media: Scaling brands on social media
Video shows Korean girl eating jalebi for first time, her reaction to Indian sweet goes viral
Cristiano Ronaldo confirms THIS YouTube star as his next guest, says, 'Will break Internet'
Delhi Assembly Elections: AAP releases first list of 11 candidates for 2025 polls
Adani Group's FIRST REACTION after US indicts Gautam Adani in alleged bribery case
Instagram introduces new feature, know how to reset app's algorithm, change your feed
No mention of Aaradhya Bachchan in Amitabh Bachchan's post on birthdays, it happened recently
Oppo Find X8 and X8 Pro launched in India, check specifications, price, other details
Charges against Gautam Adani: BJP's scathing attack on Congress, questions timing of development
Jasprit Bumrah's BIG statement on taking up Perth test captaincy, says, 'tactically better...'
Blackout on breaks: Company imposes no-sick-leave policy until 2025
Drug-laden terrorists on India's western, northern frontiers
Mohammad Shami trolls Sanjay Manjrekar over IPL auction bid prediction, says, 'Baba ki...'
IND vs AUS Test: When and where to watch 1st match of Border-Gavaskar trophy, know details here
CAQM amends Grap Stages III, IV, enforces stricter measures in Delhi-NCR amid air pollution woes
Malayalam actor Meghanathan passes away at 60 after suffering from...
Adani Green Energy's FIRST reaction after US indicts Gautam Adani in alleged bribery case
'Keep me out of...': Pakistani Instagram star Mathira on MMS leak controversy
Delhi Air Pollution: AQI marginally improves from 'severe' to 'very poor' category
Meet actress who worked with Alia Bhatt, was asked to 'compromise', connected to Aishwarya Rai by..
Aishwarya Rai’s remark on Amitabh Bachchan’s ‘habits’ goes viral amid divorce rumours with Abhishek
Rekha's BOLD statement about Amitabh Bachchan goes viral, 'why hurt...'
Meet man, IITian who built Rs 5493 crore firm, has this Mukesh Ambani connection, he is from...
Shillong Teer Results TODAY November 21, 2024 Live Updates: Check winning numbers here
‘I didn’t have time to…’: When AR Rahman revealed having ‘agreement’ before marriage to Saira Banu
Amitabh Bachchan praises Abhishek Bachchan's new film, netizens ask 'kash ye Aishwarya...'
Viral video: Woman's sizzling belly dance to 'Namak' impresses internet, watch
Hardik Pandya banned, Mumbai Indians captain to miss first match of IPL 2025 due to...
Meet man who studied at IIM, IIT, then built Rs 1160000000 company, got inspired by…
Meet woman, who quit as dentist for UPSC exam, became IAS officer with AIR...