The UPA government, it seems, is doing its best to prevent Anna Hazare from sitting on his indefinite hunger strike from Tuesday, August 16, to protest against the government’s version of the draft Lokpal Bill.
Hours after Union home minister P Chidambaram called Hazare’s decision to go on a hunger strike ‘unjustified’, the Delhi Police informed the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) that the social activist can sit on fast at the Jai Prakash Narayan national park for two days only, at the most three.
The Delhi police said the fast can go on for three days if Hazare or civil society member Arvind Kejriwal furnished an undertaking that Anna would end his hunger strike at the end of the third day, and leave. Obviously, the government does not want a repeat of Anna’s April hunger strike when the government was forced to accede to Hazare’s demands.
This time round, the government has a game-plan. After giving the “strong” Jan Lokpal Bill draft the short shrift, and introducing its version of the Lokpal Bill in Parliament, with the PM out it, and other Team Hazare demands also thrown out the door, the government now faces the August 16 Anna Fast, one which could get out of hand and embarrass the government no end.
So, for two days — Thursday and Friday — a representative from Hazare’s team, Neeraj Kumar, was made to sit at the CPWD office to get a ‘yes or a no’ for the hunger strike.
There was no response till Friday night. And when it came, it came with a rider. “We asked for permission on Thursday morning. I have been sitting at the CPWD office for two days. At 8pm on Friday, secretary of union ministry of urban development Sudhir Krishna told me that the Delhi police have been asked to inform the CPWD as to the number of days Anna will be allowed to fast,” Kumar told DNA.
All the while, the letter from Team Anna seeking permission moved from one department to another, one ministry to another. Surely, there’s mischief afoot, but whose mischief it is or would be has to be seen.
