India: Anna Hazare to go ahead with fast in Mumbai; HC rejects petition

New Delhi, Dec 23 (PTI) Social activist Anna Hazare today made it clear that he will go ahead with his three-day fast for a strong ombudsman in the country in Mumbai from December 27 at the MMRDA ground in the city for which he will organise the Rupees 700,000 (about USD 14,000) rent through donations as the Bombay High Court rejected a petition seeking discounted rates for the protest venue. "MMRDA will give some concessions and the ground hire cost will be Rs 7 lakh. The donations will be accepted only by cheque and draft. We will also keep tab on the donors," Hazare said at his village Ralegan Siddhi in Ahmednagar district of the western Indian state of Maharashtra. Hazare said his close aides Arvind Kejriwal and Kiran Bedi will join him in his fast in Mumbai while another group of activists will go on hunger strike in Delhi in support for a strong Lokpal bill. He said it was wrong on the part of his supporters to have approached the court seeking concession for the venue and that if they had sought his opinion, he would not have allowed them to seek judicial intervention. "Azad Maidan's area (in Mumbai) is not enough. MMRDA has said they would reduce the rent. They said if your organisation is registered, then we will reduce the rate. People have already offered to donate Rs one-two lakh. If people are ready to donatre and MMRDA is ready to reduce the rent, I asked them (supporters) to take it," Hazare told reporters. Hazare's remarks came as Bombay High Court rejected Team Anna's petition for direction to the Maharashtra government for allotting MMRDA ground for free or at concessional rates for Anna Hazare's fast, saying it cannot come to the conclusion if the agitation was in public interest or politically motivated. "We can't allow parallel canvassing when Parliament is seized with debate on the bill.... Till now the bill has not been passed. No one knows what form and what features it will have. Is public debate permissible at this stage?," the court asked. In New Delhi, activist Kiran Bedi ruled out capital's Ramlila Maidan as the venue for Hazare's fast citing winter chill and Hazare's age. "Delhi option won't be open because it is too cold then, It cannot be the venue. You got to respect his age and then sitting through the night.... But not only Anna's age and cold but then there will be many other people who will fast with him. So we have to be in Mumbai," Bedi said. Team Anna got permission from Delhi Police to hold protest at Ramlila Maidan here from December 27 for five days in support of Hazare. PTI