Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is faced with a tricky problem with activist Anna Hazare ready to begin his “fast unto death” from Tuesday to press for a Lok Pal law at the Centre to combat corruption. Resolving not to return to Maharashtra till concrete action is taken by the government, Hazare said a joint committee comprising civil society members and government officials be set up to draft the law. Hazare dismissed the government version of law and said, “Like the Supreme Court and the Election Commission, an independent body called Jan Lokpal should be set up at Centre and a Jan Lokayukta should be set up in each state to receive complaints of corruption, investigate them within six months and prosecute the guilty.” Although efforts are on to persuade Hazare to defer his plans, the PM’s office expressed disappointment over the plans for a fast while reiterating Singh’s respect for the activist. PMO sources said they were taken by surprise as Hazare’s group had met Singh and accepted a proposal that a sub-group of a group of ministers consult activists. Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan spoke to Hazare a couple of days ago but the activist did not relent. His supporters have been pressing him to initiate a fast to ensure the government agrees to the law while the government feels he is adopting a “my way or no way” attitude. Hazare has written to Singh, Congress president Sonia Gandhi and BJP leader LK Advani. “I have got so much energy from the positive response of people across Maharashtra that I can undertake indefinite fast,” he said.
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