Rules out talks with Ramdev, dismisses Anna’s August 15 deadline.
Indicating it was running out of patience with the politics of fasts, the government has ruled out any talks with yoga guru Ramdev, presently undergoing treatment at Dehra Dun’s Jolly Grant Hospital. It would also not respond to activist Anna Hazare’s deadline of August 15 to enact the Lok Pal bill, failing which he has threatened to resume his fast.
Activist Agnivesh met finance minister Pranab Mukherjee to discuss the Ramdev issue here on Friday, suggesting the government may want to start a new round of discussions with the yoga teacher. The suggestion was, however, turned down until Ramdev ended his fast.
Simultaneously, in Bangalore, Ashwani Kumar, the union minister of state for parliamentary affairs, hit out at Hazare for resorting to “fast-to-death at the drop of a hat”. The agitation by Hazare was unjustified as the government was sensitive to the issue and fighting corruption was its “core agenda”, he said.
“You (Hazare) say if you (the government) don’t bring a legislation (Lokpal bill) by August 15, we will go on a fast. But, lawmaking is not at will. It is the functioning of a process”, Kumar said.
Indicating that law enactment was a lengthy process, he said one had to discuss the bill with stakeholders, assimilate everybody’s view and also see “what the constitution and the laws permit”.
“You cannot, in the garb of being a crusader against corruption, undermine the established institutions of parliamentary democracy”. He said one had to understand there were “competing priorities in governance”.
Meanwhile, doctors said Ramdev’s condition was improving.