M A I N   N E W S

Won’t quit panel: Anna camp
Vibha Sharma
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, June 7
In the ongoing tussle between social activists and the government over the framing of Jan Lokpal Bill, members of the civil society on Tuesday took turns to aim at HRD minister Kapil Sibal, accusing the Congress leader of deliberately “putting words in their mouth”, while advising the UPA government to tone down its arrogance.

“He (Sibal) is putting words in our mouth and it seems he wants us to say that we won't be attending future meetings,” activist Arvind Kejriwal said, responding to Sibal’s comments that the drafting committee would continue working whether civil society representatives attend meetings or not.

Therefore, making it clear to the government that Anna Hazare’s team had no intention of quitting the joint panel, Kejriwal said civil society members of the drafting committee would not “let you (government) off so easily”. Civil society members would attend the next meeting, he said, contending that if activists exit the 10-member committee, it would have “no credibility” as it would then just be a government panel with five ministers.

Led by social activist Anna Hazare, activists yesterday boycotted the drafting committee meeting in protest against the the police crackdown on yoga guru Baba Ramdev and his supporters. Kejriwal, however, said they had written to Committee chairman Pranab Mukherjee that they would not be present at the meeting and also urged him to postpone the next meeting after June 10.

Despite the five civil society members boycotting the meeting yesterday, ministers went ahead and finalised some provisions of the proposed Lokpal Bill. Later, Sibal said the government would prepare the legislation for introducing in the Parliament’s monsoon session despite their absence.

Meanwhile, with the Delhi Police refusing permission for hunger strike at Jantar Mantar tomorrow, social activists have decided to shift the venue of lead player Anna Hazare one-day fast to Rajghat to “avoid confrontation”.

Announcing the decision, Kejriwal, Prashant Bhushan and Kiran Bedi accused the government of denying the basic Constitutional rights of citizens.

With the government deciding to act tough this time, civil rights activists said they were not interested in fighting with the police and presenting another scope for confrontation. The Jantar Mantar venue from where Anna sparked the imagination of the country with his five-day fast in April falls in New Delhi district where Section 144 has been imposed to prohibit gathering of more than four persons at one place.

The Hazare-led protest will be held in the vicinity of Rajghat from 10 am tomorrow and will be accompanied by fast, an all-religion prayer meeting and a debate on Lokpal Bill.

“We have no intention for confrontation. Our intention is only for peaceful protest,” Kejriwal said, adding that denial of permission was in violation of Article 19(1) and 19(2) which gives freedom of speech to everyone. Echoing Kejriwal’s views, Bhushan said the Delhi Police should not do this otherwise people would have to resort to other means to express themselves.

Meanwhile, reacting to Congress general secretary Janardhan Dwivedi’s comments that Hazare was a mask of the BJP, Bhushan said such remarks deserved contempt. Activists also defended their insistence on live telecast of joint committee’ proceedings, saying it would give a better picture of the stand taken by the two sides.