Govt cheated us, says Hazare

IANS/New Delhi

Sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik yesterday created a colourful sand sculpture of Anna Hazare on the beach in Puri to express solidarity with the social activist in the fight against corruption. The sculpture depicts Hazare’s face and the national tricolor. It also bears the message “Fight against corruption”. Pattnaik told IANS he and his students spent about five hours to create the image using about 10 tonnes of sand.

Angry at the Delhi Police restrictions for his upcoming fast, social activist Anna Hazare yesterday accused the government of betraying the nation’s trust, and said if he had known the government would cheat, he would not have called off his fast in April.Addressing the media ahead of his fast from Tuesday, a day after India celebrates its 65th Independence Day tomorrow, Hazare said because of the government’s mis-governance, the US got the opportunity to remark on the country’s internal matters - a reference to a US State Department official’s call for “restraint” in dealing with the fast. “We did not know that we will be cheated. If we had known then, we would have told the government to agree to all our demands or the fast will not be broken. But we trusted the government and it cheated us,” Hazare said at a press conference.The 72-year-old activist was referring to his fast in April when he went without food for five days - a move that forced the government to agree on a strong Lokpal bill against corruption. The activist also slammed the restrictions put up by Delhi Police now for his second hunger strike.The Delhi Police has allowed Team Anna to hold the protest for just three days at a park in central Delhi and also asked them to restrict the crowd to 4,000-5,000. Besides, Delhi Police have put 22 additional restrictions, including not to make provocative speeches and limit the use of loudspeakers. Soon after the police order on Friday night, Hazare shot off a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, terming the police move “undemocratic”. He said despite the restriction, he would go ahead with the fast and if arrested he would continue it in jail. Hazare also said the Indian constitution allows every citizen to hold peaceful protest and stopping them is violation of their fundamental rights. “I am writing to you with a hope that you will protect our fundamental right. It is your duty to protect the democracy and the constitution and I am hopeful that you will take some action regarding this,” he said in his two-page letter.Hazare also said that freedom fighters fought for these very rights and it is shameful that ahead of the Independence Day these rights were being violated.Lokpal bill drafting committee member and co-chair Shanti Bhushan called the Delhi Police order “unconstitutional”.“The government is putting restrictions similar to emergency. Requiring such an undertaking is absurd and totally unconstitutional. Therefore, there is no question of giving any such undertaking,” said Bhushan.However, Delhi Police said that no fast will be allowed without agitators giving an undertaking accepting all restrictions. Hazare’s fast is to press the government to include in the official draft legislation provisions of their Jan Lokpal bill that puts the prime minister and higher judiciary within the ambit of an ombudsman. The government version of the bill, introduced in parliament on August 4, does not include these provisions.The government had set up a 10-member committee - five cabinet ministers and five social rights activists - after Hazare’s fast in April. The committee met several times amidst acrimony and disagreement over the bill provisions.The committee finally decided to present before the cabinet two different versions. But it was only the government version that got the official nod.NRI delegation to participate in fastA group of Non-Resident Indians from the Gulf will be participating in the indefinite fast announced by Gandhian activist Anna Hazare beginning August 16 in New Delhi.Addressing a news conference at the Press Club here, UAE-based lawyer K K Saratchandra Bose said he would lead a delegation of 25 NRIs to express solidarity with the anti-corruption movement representing the diaspora, Ashraf Padanna reports from Thiruvananthapuram.“It is for the first time that the NRIs are joining the growing bandwagon of Anna supporters, indicating the increasing reverberations of the civil society’s fight against corruption even among the Indian diaspora,” said Bose, who is also chairman of the Global Dialogue Foundation which promotes dialogue and collaboration for increased understanding among cultures and civilizations.Some of the other members who will join Bose include Guruji K Madhavan, Viren Narkar, Suman Suneja, D Gulati and Mohan Kamath. They are also in touch with other community forums in Middle East and elsewhere to garner support. “We’ll carry with us the good will, emotional support, and spirit of patriotism of all NRIs as we believe that only an effective Lokpal Act alone will lead India in the right direction,” Bose said. “Besides, we are happy to offer any legal support, if needed, even in the trail of black money with the help of senior members of International Bar Associations who are our associates.’’ Pointing out that civil and criminal laws in India are outdated and allowing the guilty to go scot-free, Bose said India has been suffering from corruption for decades and it should be tackled with persistence and Indian authorities should take lessons from countries like Egypt, Libya, and Tunisia and heed to the counsels of the civil society.“These laws were good for thousands of years during which India was ruled by foreign powers. The British colonial laws such as the Indian Penal Code of 1860, Indian Evidence Act of 1872, Indian Contract Act of 1872, Indian Partnership Act of 1932, The Transfer of Property Act of 1882, Indian Court Fees Act of 1870, Civil Procedure Code of 1908 are all outdated and good only to enslave and loot the innocent Indians,’’ he said.Talking about black money that has been hidden in some foreign countries, the Dubai-based lawyer said people can approach directly to the foreign countries including Switzerland, instead of waiting for the Government to take lead. “No one can stop anyone from such movements. Peoples’ power will outsmart the governments’ power,” he said, adding that the NRI leaders were also willing to help in the trail of black money through legal routes or through dialogues.