New Delhi:
Anna Hazare has been fasting for 12 days now, his condition is deteriorating, and every effort is now geared towards ensuring that his hunger strike ends early this evening.
Parliament is sitting on a Saturday to debate the Lokpal Bill, with focus on Anna's Jan Lokpal and though there will be no voting, it is expected to conclude with the Houses adopting a resolution accepting Anna's three demands for a new Lokpal or ombudsman committee in charge of investigating complaints against government servants.
Anna has said he will not end his fast till Parliament passes a resolution accepting three must-have powers for the Lokpal. The draft of a resolution, prepared by the government in collaboration with Anna's associates, includes these three demands. Political parties are likely to accept them.
Members of Anna's Team are meeting Finance Minister and the government's chief negotiator Pranab Mukherjee. Sources say they will be shown the final draft of the resolution.
Anna Hazare has brought extreme pressure on the government to accept the three features - the replication of the Lokpal model in all states; a citizen's charter for all government departments that clearly lists penalties for under-performance; and the inclusion of junior bureaucrats for review by the Lokpal.
Mr Mukherjee started the Parliament debate by asking the Houses to make a decision on the three features, detailing why the government had said no to them. The BJP - Leaders of Opposition Sushma Swaraj speaking in the Lok Sabha and Arun Jaitley in the Rajya Sabha - largely backed Anna on his three must-have points. Sources say the Opposition leaders have been given a copy of the draft resolution to review it.
Sources say the Prime Minister is also expected to send a personal letter to the Gandhian activist after the Parliament debate.
The 74-year-old has not eaten in 12 days; he has lost more than seven kilos; Doctors today said his blood pressure was low and his heart beat fast. Medical test results are expected today and doctors are now monitoring his condition closely and round the clock.
On Friday, he wrote to the PM, "My soul tells me, if there is consensus in the Parliament on the three sticking points then I will call off my fast." On Saturday morning, a frail Anna sought to assure his supporters that, "I can fast for another three-four days." And as Parliament began debating the Lokpal Bill, he said at Ramlila Maidan, "The real Parliament is the people... Parliament is in discussion because of the people's movement." That said, Team Anna is monitoring the debate closely at an enclosure at their base camp.
In a message, Art of Living leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar "insisted" that "Anna break his fast at any cost before 6 pm today, whether there is a resolution or not. Let the agitation continue, but not the fast." The spiritual leader has been a key mediator between the two sides.
Team Anna has expressed the hope that there will be unity and consensus in Parliament on the three key demands. "We hope there is a consensus on the three key issues. We want unity in Parliament whether the debate takes place under Rule 184(that entails voting) or Rule 193," Medha Patkar said. The BJP yesterday finally made its stand clear on the Lokpal, and said it backed the Jan Lokpal Bill and agreed for a debate on specific points.
On Saturday morning, Anna's activists held new rounds of talks with the BJP and the Congress to ensure that consensus in Parliament happened. The negotiating arm of Team Anna has worn a revamped look since yesterday - Arvind Kejriwal and Kiran Bedi, who spearheaded talks so far, are on stage at the Ramlila grounds, while Medha Patkar and Maharashtra spiritual leader Bhaiyyuji Maharaj have joined Prashant Bhushan in talking to the government and opposition parties. Ms Patkar and Bhaiyyuji Maharaj met BJP chief Nitin Gadkari and Law Minister Salman Khurshid and his team at the minister's home.
In his letter to the Prime Minister yesterday, Anna Hazare apologised for any harsh words used by him or his team and detailed his demands were. He asked if it was possible to bring all three proposals to Parliament and said he was "confident that all MPs will agree to the proposals."
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The debate that is taking place now was meant to start on Friday afternoon, but was postponed after the BJP insisted that the discussion must lead to a vote. A compromise was then worked out - that the debate would begin with Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee sharing the government's stand on what's intended as a historic piece of legislation.
Named for the anti-corruption, independent agency it grants, the Lokpal Bill exists in different versions. Anna's associates refer to their draft as the Jan Lokpal Bill or People's Lokpal Bill; the government's version, described as weak and self-serving by the Opposition and activists; a third version has come from Aruna Roy's group of activists; a fourth has been delivered by Jaiprakash Narayan and his NGO Jansatta. The Lokpal sanctions a committee of nine members to serve as an ombudsman.