Hazare's Aug 16 "extra parliamentary" protest is unjustified: govt

Home minister reasons that the bill is under consideration of the standing committee

PTI | August 12, 2011


Home minister P Chidambaram at a press conference at Shastri Bhavan on Friday
Home minister P Chidambaram at a press conference at Shastri Bhavan on Friday

Government today said that Anna Hazare's plan to go on fast from August 16 on lokpal issue is "unjustified" at this stage, when it is moving forward on the passage of the bill.

"At this stage an extra parliamentary protest seems unjustified," home minister P Chidambarm said when asked how the government views Hazare's proposed agitation at a time when the draft bill for Lokpal is being deliberated before the standing committee.

Noting that "everybody has a right to protest and the context and circumstances will decide whether the protest was right or not", Chidamabram said Hazare team's earlier fast, when the lokpal bill was not in place, was perhaps right but not now when a bill has already been introduced in parliament and the government has "moved forward" on it.

Addressing a press briefing of the group of ministers on media, the union minister said that the government's draft lokpal bill will receive many suggestions in the standing committee as well as in parliament from the opposition parties and some of these may also be accommodated.

To another question on whether the government can intervene in case Hazare's health is affected, the home minister said, "Certainly, if anyone's life is in danger, the government has not only a duty but a right to intervene."

He was, however quick to add that the statement was not in context of Hazare but a general one.

To queries about the delay in permission to Hazare to hold fast and how the government intends to tackle the stir, the home minister said that the matter rests with Delhi Police commissioner and the government was "not tackling or pushing any one".

"I think we are jumping the gun. He wants to have a protest fast and has applied for permission before the Delhi Police. The application is under process. Police commissioner has to decide. See what he decides," he said.

Comments

 

Other News

Distinguishing Fish 1 and Fish 2: The pragmatism behind India’s WTO ratification

 India became the 123rd WTO member to ratify the multilateral Agreement on Fisheries subsidies (AoFS) when it deposited the Instrument of Acceptance for Phase 1 on July 20, 2026. The ratification is restricted to disciplining Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated fishing (IUU), protection for overfished

The 7% growth problem: Why the next 7% will be harder

India has become accustomed to hearing the 7% growth number. It is now less a milestone than an expectation. Yet the paradox is becoming clearer: maintaining 7% growth may be considerably harder than achieving it once. India’s real GDP grew 7.7% in FY2025–26, following growth of 6.5% in FY202

The Constitution cannot be altered: Justice Abhay Oka

Justice Abhay Oka, who retired from the Supreme Court in May 2025, has said that the Constitution of India cannot be altered. Explaining the landmark Kesavananda Bharati judgment (1973) on the basic structure of the Constitution, he said, “This is one judgment that has saved democracy in India.&rdq

How the flora and fauna evolved in the Indian subcontinent

Mammals of India  By A.J.T. Johnsingh and P.O. Nameer HarperCollins India in association with Bombay Natural History Society  

India`s renewable race is moving beyond megawatts

When Shell bought Sprng Energy in 2022, India`s renewable energy market appeared to offer precisely what global energy majors were seeking: scale, growth and a place in one of the world`s largest energy transitions. Four years later, Shell is selling the same business to Aditya Birla Group for an enterpris

Nepal Floods: India keeps close watch on the situation

India`s central government has been keeping a close watch on the situation arising out of the flash flood in Nepal on Wednesday. Union home minister Amit Shah spoke with the chief ministers of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, the two states that share the border with Nepal, regarding the disaster

Upcoming Conferences



-->

Archives

Current Issue

Opinion

Facebook Twitter Google Plus Linkedin Subscribe Newsletter

Twitter