A protester presents the corruption saga of India in a nutshell by listing major scams over the years.
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On the charge that he had been impatient in starting his agitation even though the government had initiated the process of drafting the Lokpal Bill, he wrote, "I would urge you to tell me exactly what processes are underway. You say your Group of Ministers (GoM) is drafting the anti-corruption law. Many members of this GoM have such a shady past that if effective anti-corruption systems had been place, some of them would have been behind bars." Even as support for Hazare built up, the government seemed to be stuck for a response.
Union ministers Kapil Sibal, Ambika Soni and Veerappa Moily spoke in general terms. Congress spokesperson Jayanthi Natarajan described the fast as "premature", saying that in a democracy debates should be held before a policy was framed. No direct offer of talks was made to Hazare.
The government and Congress brass, including party chief Sonia Gandhi and the PM, are expected to soon take a view on how to douse the fire ignited by the social activist.
Sonia, away in Kerala for electioneering, was expected to step in to retrieve the situation on her return to the capital on Wednesday night.
Party sources said she was not averse to the demand of setting up a joint committee to draft the anti- corruption Bill.
On the ground, there was little doubt that the Hazare was articulating public anger on corruption.
At Jantar Mantar, where he was holding his fast -- the number of those fasting along with the Gandhian swelled to almost 170 on Wednesday -- this was having its effect. Two politicians - former BJP leader Uma Bharti and Om Prakash Chautala of the Indian National Lok Dal - got a taste of the public mood when they were nearly chased away. Hazare later appealed to his supporters to allow politicians in.
"Chasing people away is against Gandhian principles of peaceful protest. I have appealed to them (politicians) not to come here. But if someone does that, they can sit here. No one can take advantage of the situation," he said.
As the anti-corruption agitation gained ground with state elections already underway, Sharad Pawar, who had been on the group of ministers (GoM) to draft the anti- corruption legislation, quit the ministerial body on Wednesday evening.
That was after Hazare had expressed dismay over the fact that Pawar owned large tracts of land in Maharashtra. Other members of the committee, headed by Pranab Mukherjee are Moily, Sibal, P. Chidambaram, A. K. Antony, Mamata Banerjee, M. K. Alagiri and P. K. Bansal.
The Indian Against Corruption, the organisation behind the protest, maintained that it had been flooded with reports of people across the country skipping a meal or two while some are observing a day's fast as well.
"It is not just about deterioration in Anna's health. The condition of anyone who is on a fast can turn bad. The ball is firmly in government's court. We hope some sense prevails. So far, we haven't heard from the government," said Arvind Kejriwal, the principal organiser of the movement.
The Congress chose not to precipitate matters although, officially, it stuck to stand, saying Hazare should not set any deadline for enacting the law. A working group of the Sonia- headed National Advisory Council (NAC) has agreed with nearly all provisions of the 'Jan Lokpal Bill' drafted by anti-graft activists under the guidance of Karnataka Lokayukta Santosh Hegde and senior lawyer Prashant Bhushan.
Congress sources said Sonia was keen to give more teeth to the proposed legislation. Jayanthi Natarajan also hinted at this view in the party. "While many people will not agree on the Bill and have different opinions, the NAC and other forums are already discussing the matter. The far- reaching changes suggested by Hazare need broad discussions before a final draft can be scripted," she said.
Asked if the party considered Hazare an RSS agent, she said," I have not read the reports you are referring to. What I say from this platform is the official point of view." Sibal said the government was open to all possible suggestions.
"We were asked to commit in principle to a joint committee before April 5. We said we need time for wider consultations. This will happen, we are not opposed to any of these issues," he added.
Soni, the information and broadcasting minister, said: "The fact that the PM favoured a GoM shows his credibility. We are ready for talks. The government is serious about fighting corruption." Moily, the law minister, said the government was open to suggestions even though it was "anxious to introduce the bill in the next session". He said the government had not rejected the demand for a joint drafting committee. "We said we were open. We never closed our mind even on the formation of joint committee," Moily added.
