The government on Thursday evening gave in to fasting activist Anna Hazare's demand that Parliament debate key clauses of his Jan Lokpal Bill tomorrow. Sources said discussions in Lok Sabha would be on the Bill in the shape of a document,after which the records would be sent to the Parliamentary Standing Committee examining the Lokpal Bill. It was,however,not clear immediately whether the debate would be held under Rule 193 or Rule 184,which entails voting. During the discussion,members will be free to speak on social activist Aruna Roy's version of the Lokpal Bill as also another version. In view of the discussion,Parliament will have a sitting on Saturday,sources said. This decision was reached during hectic parleys within the government,which included Union Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh's meeting Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Subsequently,Singh held consultations with senior ministerial colleagues Pranab Mukherjee and A K Antony. Earlier in the evening,Hazare swore not to end his fast unless he had written assurance from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that three of his key demands would be immediately debated in Parliament. Hazare also said he might withdraw his fast,but not the agitation from Ramlila Maidan till a complete picture emerges on the anti-graft Bill. Hazare wants the Parliament to immediately discuss the modalities of bringing the lower bureaucracy under Lokpal,the citizens' charter in government offices and the creation of state Lokayuktas. I have sent a message to the Prime Minister. If you want to pass the Jan Lokpal Bill then start discussions tomorrow morning. I have three demands. If there is support for them,I will consider ending the fast, he told his supporters at the Ramlila Maidan here. After Singh appealed to Hazare to end his public hunger strike and proposed that Parliament debate his Bill,the Gandhian wrote down his demands in a letter,which was taken to Manmohan Singh by former Maharashtra chief minister and seasoned Anna pacifier Vilasrao Deshmukh. In a provocative speech at the Ramlila grounds in the evening,Hazare also asked protesters to court arrest and picket in front of ministers' houses till his demands were met. PM says he is worried about my health. but you were not worried for ten days. It went on like this, he said,adding the government had betrayed him twice in the past and he would not like to be betrayed for the third time. Hazare also wondered why the Opposition was keeping mum on the Jan Lokpal Bill. Why are you keeping quiet? You should say we support this Bill and ask the government to bring it. But everyone has joined hands because they fear that power will slip out of their hands, the 74-year-old Gandhian told the Opposition. He also noted that MPs and the Speaker appreciated the protest and even the Prime Minister saluted him. It is not because of me,it is all because of you people, he said. He said whether he was alive or not,the torch of revolution should continue. It is becoming difficult for the poor to live. We have to create the change. A lot of people are living only to eat and some are eating to live, Hazare said. The people are supreme. All officers should be brought under the Lokpal. All officers from the village to the city should be under the Lokpal, he said. If state Lokayuktas are not established along with the Lokpal,corruption at state-level cannot be curbed. How can we do that? All states should have Lokayukta and they should be independent, he said. Earlier in Parliament,political parties united to ask Hazare to end the 10-day public fast that has drawn thousands of supporters to the muddy expanse of Ramlila Maidan in New Delhi,with increasing concerns about his health. He has become the embodiment of our people's disgust and concern about tackling corruption, Singh told Parliament. I applaud him,I salute him. His life is much too precious and,therefore,I would like to urge Anna Hazare to end this fast. Singh then proposed that Parliament debate Hazare's Bill as well as the government's Bill and a third piece of legislation on corruption to help forge a cross-party consensus. However,Singh's words fell well short of Team Anna's demands that Parliament swiftly pass their sweeping proposal to create a powerful government ombudsman with little debate or amendment. Hazare has continued his fast for 10 days despite growing criticism that he was holding an elected Parliament hostage to his demands. Hazare's deteriorating health could force the government to decide on force-feeding him,a move that would risk sparking further protests against a fumbling government. With key state elections due next year in the run-up to a general election in 2014,Singh is under pressure to end a crisis that has paralysed policy-making and Parliament amid high inflation and a run of corruption scandals.
