<p>Addressing a hurriedly called press conference here, Anna said, “The police action on Baba Ramdev’s fast and the way the government is conducting the Joint Drafting Committee (on Lokpal) meetings have reinforced our doubts that the government is not serious in taking measures to eradicate corruption. So we have decided to boycott the drafting committee meeting till we get a clear responses on issues like bringing prime minister and entire bureaucracy in the ambit of Lokpal Bill.” <br /><br />Condemning the police action on innocent and unarmed people at the Ramlila Maidan, Anna Hazare said a day-long fast at Jantar Mantar on Wednesday would be held as a mark of their protest. He also appealed for a countrywide one-day fast .<br /><br />The civil society leaders would submit a list of contentious issues related to the Lokpal Bill, and attend further meetings only after getting a response from the government. Shanti Bhushan, the co-chairman of Joint Drafting Committee, said, “We have been interacting with this government in the Joint Committee for the last one and a half months. The incidents of the last night and the proceedings of earlier meetings clearly make the government’s intentions in dealing with corruption suspect.”<br /><br />Arvind Kejriwal, a member of the committee said they would give a list of nine-ten issues and ask the government to give its response. The list would include six issues on which the government had asked states and political parties to respond. Other three-four issues would be decided in a meeting of civil society members, he said. <br /><br />The civil society understanably has chosen to maintain distance from the development but declared a day long fast to protest against the crack down on Ramdev. Hazare, however, maintained that there was a difference of opinion, and only after an agreement on these points was reached could they jointly attend any programme (with Ramdev).</p>
<p>Addressing a hurriedly called press conference here, Anna said, “The police action on Baba Ramdev’s fast and the way the government is conducting the Joint Drafting Committee (on Lokpal) meetings have reinforced our doubts that the government is not serious in taking measures to eradicate corruption. So we have decided to boycott the drafting committee meeting till we get a clear responses on issues like bringing prime minister and entire bureaucracy in the ambit of Lokpal Bill.” <br /><br />Condemning the police action on innocent and unarmed people at the Ramlila Maidan, Anna Hazare said a day-long fast at Jantar Mantar on Wednesday would be held as a mark of their protest. He also appealed for a countrywide one-day fast .<br /><br />The civil society leaders would submit a list of contentious issues related to the Lokpal Bill, and attend further meetings only after getting a response from the government. Shanti Bhushan, the co-chairman of Joint Drafting Committee, said, “We have been interacting with this government in the Joint Committee for the last one and a half months. The incidents of the last night and the proceedings of earlier meetings clearly make the government’s intentions in dealing with corruption suspect.”<br /><br />Arvind Kejriwal, a member of the committee said they would give a list of nine-ten issues and ask the government to give its response. The list would include six issues on which the government had asked states and political parties to respond. Other three-four issues would be decided in a meeting of civil society members, he said. <br /><br />The civil society understanably has chosen to maintain distance from the development but declared a day long fast to protest against the crack down on Ramdev. Hazare, however, maintained that there was a difference of opinion, and only after an agreement on these points was reached could they jointly attend any programme (with Ramdev).</p>
