Team Anna Hazare on Saturday rejected two out of the 22 conditions imposed by the Government for their indefinite fast from August 16 for a stronger Lokpal Bill.
“I will fast irrespective of whether permission is granted or not,” said the veteran Gandhian. “We will not give any undertaking to restrict the fast to three days. The condition of an assembly of not more than 5,000 people is also unacceptable,” Mr Hazare said at a press conference.
He was reacting to a letter by Delhi Police addressed to India Against Corruption citing “legal and administrative constraints”.
When asked what he would do if force was used, Mr Hazare said: “People will respond if force is used to break my fast. If jailed, I will continue my fast there.” He was accompanied by senior lawyer Mr Shanti Bhushan, social activists Swami Agnivesh, Mr Arvind Kejriwal and former IPS officer Ms Kiran Bedi.
Mr Hazare accused the Government of betraying the people's trust and drew parallels with the Emergency. The Manmohan Singh Government is snatching away from the people the very freedom that they had fought for, he said.
Mr Hazare said he had written a letter to the Prime Minister and appealed to him to intervene and save the Constitution as well as democracy. “People say yours is the most corrupt Government since Independence….No other Government has suppressed the voice of the people against corruption as yours…,” he wrote.
Ms Bedi said she suspected the letter written by the Delhi Police was not “their draft”. “Delhi Police is the most organised and best-equipped to handle large gatherings, be it Republic Day, August 15 or rallies of lakhs of people,” she added.