UNDECLARED EMERGENCY: Anna refuses to leave jail, opposes time-limit on fast!

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Gargi Parsai, The Hindu / NEW DELHI, August 17, 2011.

Social activist Anna Hazare at the Tihar Jail in New Delhi on Wednesday - PTI.

But agrees to shift venue; Centre concedes other conditions.

Faced with nationwide protests and slammed by a united opposition in Parliament over the detention of social activist Anna Hazare, the government got into a damage control mode on Wednesday to concede all but one condition for the anti-corruption crusader's indefinite fast on the Lokpal Bill. The condition — restriction on the number of days of fast — remained a stumbling block for Mr. Hazare to come out of jail. Late in the evening he was visited by a doctor for a check-up after almost two days of fasting.

Following day-long negotiations, the Delhi Police lifted the restriction on the number of protesters and cars and allowed use of loudspeakers up till 10 p.m. at the protest site. It also agreed to shift the venue to the Ramlila Grounds that can accommodate huge numbers.

The police initially allowed seven days of agitation, which was later extended to three weeks. This condition was rejected by Mr. Hazare and his team of negotiators including Arvind Kejriwal, Prashant Bhushan, Swami Agnivesh, Kiran Bedi and Medha Patkar. Having declared an indefinite fast, Mr. Hazare wanted no restriction on time-frame.

01) There is, absolutely, no constitutional provision that authorised the government to put conditions as to the number of days of fast or of protest, the number of people that would protest and so far and so forth!

02) Mayawati government has never put any conditions on Rahul Gandhi's protest rallies or 'Pada Yatra' when he recently indulged in them in U.P.;

03) Anna Hazare was arrested and put in a Jail notorious for its VIP inmates, some of whom had been the key functionaries of UPA Government, till recently - with an apprehension that he (Anna) would violate Section 144!

04) When Rahul Gandhi violated the same Section in U.P., the government there, had detained him till Evening and let him off;

05) From where do these UPA Mis-Mangers get those funny ideas of imposing restrictions on a "Satyagrahi"?

06) Team Anna need not even negotiate with the UPA government on those "Un-Constitutional Conditions" that they wish to impose on them;

07) While I do not support the 'Fasts' as a means of achieving anythign nor do I support all demands as made by Team-Anna, I do, strongly & unequivocally support their right to dissent and right to be heard!!!

Full Story at,

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article2365787.ece?homepage=true