Centre's veiled threat to Hazare on fasting plans

Home Minister P Chidambaram on Friday said he hoped the situation would not come to a pass when Anna Hazare would have to be arrested for trying to commit suicide. The noted social activist has threatened to go on a fast unto death for a strong Lokpal.

Chidambaram said the Lok Pal Bill had been introduced in Parliament and now it is before the Standing Committee for its views. “The constitutional process of changing the law is underway. This is democracy at work.”

When the home minister was asked about the findings of a survey by Hazare’s supporters that had revealed that 90 per cent of the population in Rahul Gandhi’s constituency had backed the Jan Lok Pal Bill propagated by the civil society representatives and not that of the government, Chidambaram toed the government line and repeated what Kapil Sibal had said: “Why not 100 per cent ?”

The home minister said he did not believe in the use of words like “tackle” to define the government's strategy to the Hazare movement. “Such words are more appropriate in American football. We are not tackling anyone. They (the protestors) have a point of view. But we have a point of view, too. You cannot say in a democracy that it’s either ‘my way or the highway’. Activists supporting Hazare’s call for a strong ombudsman said they were being made to run from pillar to post to get permission to organise the protest fast scheduled on August 16.