Why govt won't bend fully to accommodate Team Anna

Asserting the supremacy of Parliament and the Constitution and declaring them to be non-negotiable, the government on Wednesday got the backing of all political parties to reject the demands of Anna Hazare and his companions on the Jan Lokpal Bill and the demand that it should be presented in the House and passed in the current session of Parliament.

While the government is clear that it will not withdraw the Lokpal Bill which was introduced in Parliament and then referred to the standing committee on law, justice and personnel, minister of state in the prime minister's office V Narayanswamy has also referred the Jan Lokpal Bill to the standing committee.

The standing committee will also look at various other bills and anti-corruption provisions which have been sent to them by various organisations and individuals.

Sources said that contrary to the impression being conveyed by a number of television channels, the government is not willing to bend or surrender beyond a point to the demands of Anna Hazare.

The all party meeting convened by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at his residence adopted a formal resolution asking Anna Hazare to end his fast in view of his deteriorating health and also asked the government to bring in a stronger and more effective Lokpal Bill which can tackle the issue of corruption.

A little later at an Iftar party hosted by the prime minister at his residence, Dr Manmohan Singh said, "I always maintain there is scope for give and take. If that happens we can find a pragmatic solution".

He said the government will try and find a practical way to ensure that aspects of the Jan Lokpal Bill will be taken on board. On being asked whether the government was considering extending the monsoon session of Parliament, the prime minister said it was too early to say anything on the matter.

With the exception of the Left parties and the Bharatiya Janata Party which wanted the government to withdraw its Lokpal Bill and present a fresh bill with various aspects incorporated, there is backing for the government on the issue that Parliament is supreme and that the parliamentary process cannot be bypassed, as is being demanded by Anna Hazare and
company.

The government's chief crisis manager -- Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee -- began yet another round of talks with Hazare's representatives at his north block office at 8.15 p.m. to convey to them the thinking of the all party meeting and how far the government can go in accommodating their
demands.

Side by side with this the prime minister called Anna Hazare's doctors to get a first hand report of his health and whether at 74 he can continue his fasting or would need to be hospitalised.

The government has already discussed the option of having him picked up and sent to hospital if he does not see reason and agree to end the fast.

Even Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray in a statement has asked him to end his fast in view of his health conditions and said that instead Arvind Kejriwal, Kiran Bedi and Prashant Bhushan should be sitting on fast! This statement has not been welcomed by Anna Hazare's companions.

As far as the BJP is concerned, they have identified various areas where they differ with the Jan Lokpal Bill and which cannot be accepted.

The BJP has agreed that the prime minister should be under the ambit of the Lokpal but on issues of national security, foreign affairs and intelligence, he should be exempted. They do not think the judiciary should be brought in and instead the Judicial Accountability Bill would be brought to tackle judges.

The BJP does not want the conduct of MPs inside Parliament to be included in the Lokpal Bill and it does not think that the entire bureaucracy can be included, nor does it agree that they should be dismissed if there is a complaint as 'that would lead to demoralisation in the bureaucracy.'

Meanwhile, there is a growing clamour that corporates, NGOs and media should be included particularly on issues of foreign funding.

A senior minister said foreign direct investment should be allowed in the media to break the monopoly of certain media barons and business houses, and this was the only way to ensure there is no repeat of the way that the channels have held
the government to ransom.

After having been beaten black and blue over charges of corruption and then incompetence and mishandling, the government is now looking weak and shaken up with not enough will power to lift Anna Hazare and transport him to hospital.

But government sources say that if they still do not see reason and do not end the fast, the government will have no option but to physically transport him to hospital as the weak and ailing Manmohan Singh government cannot afford a misadventure on the issue of Hazare's health at this point of time.