Hazare supporters to observe countrywide hunger strike

New Delhi, June 5 (PTI) Agitated over the treatment
meted out to yoga guru Baba Ramdev, Anna Hazare-led civil
society on Sunday announced a day-long nationwide hunger
strike on Wednesday in protest and decided to boycott the
meetings of Lokpal drafting committee in another showdown with
the government.
Accusing the government of having suspicious intent
with regard to dealing with corruption, Hazare said the civil
society would defy prohibitory orders on Wednesday at Jantar
Mantar to protest the police action against Baba Ramdev's
movement.
However, Hazare said he has "some issues" with the
yoga guru and would not share the dais with him at Jantar
Mantar.
"We have been interacting with this government in the
Joint Committee for the last one and a half months. The
incidents of the last night and the proceedings of earlier
meetings clearly make government's intentions in dealing with
corruption suspect.
"The government has been trying to crush
anti-corruption movement. We have therefore decided not to
attend Joint Committee meetings," he told a press conference.
Hazare said his side was writing a letter to Finance
Minister Pranab Mukherjee, who is the chairman of the joint
drafting committee on Lokpal Bill, asking the government
to make its stand public on some of the key issues related to
the anti-corruption legislation.
"We have already made our stand clear on these issues.
After we receive government's response, we will decide whether
any useful public purpose would be served in attending joint
committee meetings," he said.
On Ramdev, the Gandhian said he has to "sort out" the
issues with the yoga guru before sharing the same platform for
any protests. However, he was quick to add that he supported
the issue of black money raised by Ramdev.

Asked how he plans to go ahead with his June 8
protest, Hazare said, "How can the government stop anyone from
protesting? The land is not their 'father's property'. The
citizens are the masters and the ministers are their
servants".
Hazare also put another pre-condition for attending
the joint committee meetings. "In view of government's
barbaric actions, since its intentions to remove corruption
have become suspect, we will attend any future meetings of the
joint committee only if they were telecast live."
"If the Government hesitates in bringing a strong
Lokpal Bill, we will be left with no option but to go back to
Jantar Mantar," he said.
He said, if the government does not learn the lesson,
a bigger agitation will be launched, emphasising the need for
launching a "second freedom struggle".
Comparing the government's crackdown on Ramdev's
supporters to the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, the Gandhian
said, "What is the difference between the British autocracy
and today's democracy? In Jallianwala Bagh massacre,
Britishers fired on the people and here "kaale angrez" (Black
English) did the same thing last night."
When asked if the government should resign over last
night's incident, Hazare said, "What would happen if the
government changes? They are all the same. The new leaders
will be the brothers of the old one."
Joint Committee co-chair Shanti Bhushan demanded that
the PM explain the reasons that provoked the police action on
Baba's supporters last night and said if the government
doesn't make its stand clear, another nationwide agitation
will be launched.