The Hindu : Hazare continues fast despite probe order

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Aug 17, 2003

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National

Hazare continues fast despite probe order

By Mahesh Vijapurkar

MUMBAI AUG. 16. The Maharashtra Government today named Justice P.B. Sawant, a retired Supreme Court judge, to probe the allegations of corruption against four Nationalist Congress Party Ministers made by the social activist, Anna Hazare, and allegations hurled at each other by him and a Minister, Suresh Jain.

However, this did not satisfy Mr. Hazare, who wanted the Ministers sacked first. Mr. Jain, however, satisfied that his demand for investigating "irregularities" of the trusts run by Mr. Hazare had been met, called off his fast-unto-death on the eighth day. Mr. Hazare will continue his fast.

The Chief Minister, Sushil Kumar Shinde's announcement of a panel under the Commissions of Inquiry Act "which was as far as the Government can go" was "not enough" for Mr. Hazare "because I have lost confidence in the Government" to "which people get elected by buying votes". He wanted two separate panels, each with a judge heading it. "Or else, this can be a time-consuming process", he said. Even when elders such as J.F. Ribeiro called on him, urging that he should trust someone after having built pressure on the Government, he declined to relent.

The one-man panel, Mr. Shinde said, was in accordance with Mr. Hazare's wishes conveyed to him on Friday and if anyone persisted with the demand that a three-judge commission be set up, that would not be possible. Sources close to him said that a multi-member commission of inquiry had never been set up. It was also not possible to ask for the resignations of the four Ministers.

The four to be probed are the Civil Supplies Minister, Suresh Jain, the Irrigation Minister, Padmasinh Patil, the Information Minister, Vijaykumar Gavit, and the Housing Minister, Nawab Malik.

Mr. Hazare had alleged that there were irregularities in the conduct of the Ministers, both in official matters and in the organisations in which they were involved, such as cooperatives. The Lok Ayukta had found fault with Mr. Malik, but the Government differed with its finding. Today, Mr. Malik told The Hindu: "I am happy. Now I get to prove my innocence and the Ayukta's errors in judging me guilty".

To Mr. Jain — who had the limited objective of "exposing Mr. Hazare" who "thinks that he can dictate terms to the Government" — was satisfied and needed no persuasion to call off his fast. The NCP's Maharashtra unit chief, R.R. Patil, and the Deputy Chief Minister, Chhagan Bhujbal, arrived at the venue of the fast and offered him fruit juice.

But they preferred not to call on Mr. Hazare who said: "Mine is a do-or-die mission. If I am forced out of this place and taken to a hospital for forced feeding, then I shall cease taking even water."

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