Union Home Minister P Chidambaram on Wednesday told the Lok Sabha that the decision to secure Anna Hazares release on Tuesday from Tihar jail was taken at the political level but insisted that the action of preemptive arrest prior to that was solely that of the Delhi Police without any interference of the government. Replying to the discussion on the Prime Ministers statement on the issue,Chidambaram assured the House that the government would now deal with the issue administratively and politically but underscored that Parliament would have to stand together in ensuring that its lawmaking function does not get appropriated by those who are not members. The people have the right to vote us in and vote us out of Parliament but no right to make a law. That right has been given to us by the people, he said. The real issue is who drafts the law. If the sovereign authority of Parliament is diminished even a little bit,it will be a sad day. I accept the argument that a strong Lokpal Bill should be passed. But I reject the argument that only the Jan Lokpal Bill should be passed, he added. Chidambaram suggested too much was being made out of the procedural aspect of Hazares arrest. It is not the first time that Section 151 of the CrPC is being promulgated. All of us are also familiar with Section 144. As political activists we have violated it on several occasions and the normal procedure is that you are released after a day or a couple of days. Now who takes this decision. It is the police,not the Home Minister or the Prime Minister. These are decisions taken by police based on their judgement, he said. This was what happened on August 16 when police officers went to meet him and asked if he was going ahead with his protest. As a true Gandhian,he said he will go to Jai Prakash Narayan park and violate the prohibitory orders. So the police had to arrest him. He added that when he heard the magistrate had sent Hazare to Tihar for seven days,the UPA leadership took the political call of seeking his release. I asked the commissioner of police to seek a review immediately and get him released from Tihar, he said. We will deal with Hazare issue politically and administratively,fairly and justly,and without any bias, he said,responding to a question from JD-U leader Sharad Yadav.
