NEW DELHI: As members of ‘Team Anna’ are preparing to begin their indefinite fast against the Government to pressurize it to concede to their demands to include the provisions of its Jan Lokpal Bill, the Government on Sunday launched a coordinated attack on Anna Hazare team saying the matter was no longer in the domain of the Government and display of belligerence would amount to an ‘affront’ if not contempt of Parliament.
Addressing two separate news conferences, UPA Ministers Kapil Sibal and Ambika Soni made it clear that the ‘right to protest’ did not mean that Hazare and his team had a licence to do anything and everything they pleased.
“Every Fundamental Right entails responsibilities upon the citizens. If they want to protest, there are well laid and established procedures and there was no scope for an individual to undertake an open-ended indefinite fast. If there is any violation, it is between Anna Hazare and the Delhi Police Commissioner, the Government doesn’t come into picture,” Mr Sibal said.
He said the fact that Mr Hazare and his team were insisting on particular location in central Delhi showed that they want the media and cameras to focus and the fast was not for ‘self purification’ but to reach the world.Taking exception to the language and content of Mr Hazare’s letter written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday, Mr Sibal and Ms Soni said they did not expect this kind of letter from a person regarded as a Gandhian.
Mr Hazare’s letter had charged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh with “crushing democratic rights, behaving like a dictator and hence had no right to address the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort on the Independence Day. This letter is signed by Mr Hazare but the content of the letter is not Gandhian, they said even the worst opponents of the Prime Minister had never levelled personal allegations against Dr Singh, they said.
The Government was offering due respect to Mr Hazare because of his age but his movement was ‘not innocent’ as it appeared. Somebody was spending money on the movement, somebody was offering bulk SMSs across the country followed by the SMS of a political party.
It is time to ask questions on the source of fund behind the movement againt corruption, Mr Sibal said.
Mr Sibal said the Lokpal Bill was now the property of Parliament and its Standing Committee was seized of the matter. If Mr Hazare and his team want their views heard, they should approach the Committee, Mr Sibal said.
Earlier in the day, the Congress launched a personal attack on Mr Hazare based on the report of Justice P B Sawant which probed allegations against four institutions of Mr Hazare in Maharashtra. “When you yourself are caught deep in the acts of corruption, how can you point fingers at others,” he said. (UNI