Social activist Anna Hazare was in the city yesterday and spoke on issues close to his heart, clarifying his stand on the Lokpal bill.
Social activist Anna Hazare was in the city yesterday and spoke on issues close to his heart, clarifying his stand on the Lokpal bill. He spoke on the issues and the people related to the bill and the agitation for it, from Baba Ramdev to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Here are the excerpts.
Right to protest: Anna Hazare, who was in the city yesterday, said
he was ready to agitate in jail if the government denied him use of the
Jantar Mantar or Rajghat venues in Delhi for his stir. Pic/Mandar Tannu
On agreeing to take Baba Ramdev's support
I shall not allow Baba Ramdev to sit on the same dais on August 16 unless certain issues get sorted. We both are fighting against corruption in the government. But certain things related to social issues need to get clarified before we fight together for the same cause.
On Baba Ramdev's political leanings
I don't know whether Baba Ramdev is a hidden face of RSS as I don't have any proof about his ideological identity.
Agitation in jail
If the venue at Jantar Mantar or Rajghat is denied by the government by clamping Section 144 (prohibiting assembly of five or more than five people together in public place), I shall continue my agitation in jail. Nobody can stop my agitation in jail as it is my constitutional right to fight against corruption. I am ready to die by taking bullets on my chest for the noble cause of fighting against corruption. It is a better way to die than because of a heart attack.
Meeting all party leaders
I will speak to all party leaders before the agitation on the disputed issues in the Lokpal bill draft. I shall also be talking to Congress president Sonia Gandhi in the next two days. I am also open to discussion with leaders from the RSS. There is no harm in listening to them and their views though I have some ideological differences with these people. The first talks shall begin with BJP's senior leader Lal Krishna Advani tomorrow.
On the Prime Minister
Dr Manmohan Singh is a clean prime minister but he does not want the post of PM to come under the purview of the Lokpal bill. I don't know why he is not ready to respond to me when I wrote to him about the same. May be, he is bound in a certain way by remote control.
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