New Delhi, Aug 1: Social activist Anna Hazare today threatened to carry on his fast unto death, if the police used force to take his associate Arvind Kejriwal to hospital to forcefeed him.
A team of doctors from the state-run Dr Ram Manohar Lohia hospital today checked the condition of Team Anna members Arvind Kejriwal and Gopal Rai, and advised that both of them be taken to hospital, since their condition was serious. Both Kejriwal and Rai are into the eighth day of fasting.
Soon after the team of doctors left, a weak-looking Arvind Kejriwal asked his supporters to get ready.
"If police forcibly takes us to hospital, then it shall be the responsibility of all of you to see that I am taken out of the hospital", he said.
Kejriwal said, he smelt a conspiracy on part of the government to take him to hospital.
"I have been told that Lok Nayak Jaiprakash Narayan was taken to hospital where he was fed slow poison.
"There seems to be a conspiracy to play with my life. At the moment, all my health parameters are okay, however, I feel week, which is obvious, because today is the 8th day of my fast. We have also decided not to share our health reports with government doctors any more", said Kejriwal .
"Firstly, it is not Chidambaram's business to express concern about my health. The people present here should be more concerned about my health.
"Secondly, they are saying, what I am doing is an attempt to suicide under the Indian Penal Code. What I am doing presently is sacrifice, not attempt to suicide.
"Thirdly, the IPC was enacted by the British in 1860. When Gandhiji could sit on fast for 25 days at a stretch, it appears this government is worse than the British", said Kejriwal.
Soon after, Anna Hazare, himself on the 4th day of his fast, stood up to say, that sitting on indefinite fast has been part of India's hoary traditions.
"Nearly 400 years ago, Sant Tukaram sat on fast. Acharya Binoba Bhave sat on fast for 40 days. People sit on fast for the betterment of society, then, how can you call it attempt to suicide?", asked the social activist.
"Farmers commit suicide because they face crisis. Arvind is not facing any crisis. It seems, the government itself is in crisis. We can't allow this (forcible hospitalization)", said Hazare.
"If the government resorts to force, I declare I shall not speak to anybody in the government, and till the time, I have life left in my body, my fast will continue", said the Gandhian.
