 | « Back to article | Print this article |
The government has sent a proposal to social activist Anna Hazare through informal channels that he should drop his fast and they would pass the Lokpal Bill in Parliament and make it a law by January 26, 2012, with certain suitable amendments which may find all around acceptability.
It has, however, made no formal approach to the fasting Hazare and none from the government has been in touch with him, say highly placed sources.
On his part, Anna Hazare has told a Marathi TV channel that he would be willing to hold discussions with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi or Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan.
He has ruled out talking to any non-government negotiator. As of now, the government is not in the mood to respond to his demand of talking to the PM or Rahul Gandhi.
While the hardliners in the Anna camp do not want to send any impression that they may be looking at a face saving compromise, sources say that the writing on the wall is clear to them. That if Anna Hazare's health condition deteriorates, then he would be put into hospital and would be force fed to ensure there is no threat to his life. Along with this, he has only been given the Ramlila Grounds for a limited stay.
It is known that he has signed an undertaking with the government that the grounds would be vacated as per the agreement.
Sources said Rahul Gandhi had convened a meeting at 10, Janpath late on Monday evening. Similarly, a meeting at the PM's 7, Race Course Road residence was also convened, but both were cancelled. Instead the prime minister would be holding the meeting on Tuesday morning before the Parliament meets after a three day break.
Union minister Kapil Sibal held a meeting at his residence with senior colleagues Pawan Bansal, Salman Khursheed and Anand Sharma to discuss the strategy for the running of Parliament and how best the government can put forward its point of view for effective functioning of the House.
The government, through Union ministers Sushil Kumar Shinde and Vilasrao Deshmukh, roped in senior bureaucrat from Maharashtra Umesh Chandra Sarangi and Bhaiyyu Maharaj from Indore to hold informal discussions with Anna Hazare as they are both close to the fasting Gandhian.
But on the face of it, Anna Hazare has made it clear he is not interested in any negotiations with any non-government representative, though the government is using these people to find out whether he is prepared to compromise and stop the fast or whether he would go ahead irrespective of the consequences.
While TV channels have continued to be the biggest problem for the government, as they have continued with their non-stop coverage of the fasting and related activities, the government has no strategy with which to counter the media or to get their voice heard from the 'din of lies and concocted information which is being fed to the people,' said a Union minister.
The minister added that television has become a 'monster' and apparently the biggest villain in the entire 'tamasha' which is being enacted on live TV.
The government, which has been looking helpless in the face of the onslaught against them, has so far been unable to find a credible leader with which to counter the Anna attack. It is significant that Rahul Gandhi and much of the Congress party have remained quiet.
Reportedly, in the entire exercise, the group of four who were appointed by Sonia Gandhi to run the party in her absence have remained aloof.
Even Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, the party and government's man for all seasons who has handled many a crisis, has been quiet and not really part of the big picture.
Sources say the government has a great deal of details in its possession against Team Anna, but interestingly, Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni is not being briefed properly on regular basis,
In a 'crisis situation' like this, she should have been kept in loop to feed real facts of Team Anna in media, a source adds.