New Delhi, Jun 14: Amid a war of words, government and civil society members will meet here tomorrow on drafting the Lokpal bill as anti-corruption campaigner Anna Hazare today said differences could be resolved through dialogue and not through confrontation. As the government and Congress continued its attack on the civil society members, he said he cannot stop anyone from levelling allegations that he was a mask of RSS or BJP but said the civil society has every right to raise issues at tomorrow's meeting.
The activists, who have shot off letters to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, will push for the inclusion of the Prime Minister, judiciary and MPs under the ambit of the Lokpal, an issue on which government is at loggerheads with the civil society. “Differences can be resolved through talks and not through confrontation. We feel that the government has accepted some of our demands and a lot more needs to be done. There is time till June 30,” Hazare told reporters here.
“If nothing happens, we will see then,” he added. He said the civil society will put forth their views during tomorrow's meeting and if their demands were not met, then they will start their agitation again. The last meeting on June six was boycotted by the civil society side to protest police crackdown on Ramdev's protest. Congress has called Hazare an “unelected tyrant” while the civil society has taken exception to Mukherjee's remarks that they were undermining democracy.
On allegations that he was associated with RSS and BJP, Hazare said, “how can I put (my) hand on their mouth (and prevent them from making allegations)? In my lifetime, I have never gone close to any political party. Every party is similar. Some are graduates in corruption while some others have got doctorates in corruption.” PTI
