New Delhi:
Anna Hazare has reached Ramlila Maidan to continue his fast. Along his route, Delhi is out in big numbers to cheer the man India is looking at as the icon of the war against corruption. Watching keenly, is the UPA government, battered by the events of the last few days and in desperate need of a concrete strategy to meet the Anna challenge.
In its new approach, sources say, the government will not interfere overtly with Anna's mass protest at Ramlila grounds. But behind-the-scenes, it will work to persuade the anti-corruption crusader to cut short his fast. It will also try and engage with Anna's close aides, some of them from his home turf of Maharashtra, in new discussions.
Sources say that a suggestion has been made that the government send the Jan Lokpal Bill drafted by Team Anna to the Parliamentary Standing Committee, but that the government is not too keen to do that. The Standing Committee might, however, invite Anna Hazare to place his version of the Jan Lokpal Bill before it, the sources added.
The government learnt the hard way this week that the 74-year-old Gandhian has huge popular support. And that his being detained, arrested and then sent to prison dealt a significant blow to its own popularity ratings. His going to Tihar Jail turned into a political nightmare for the Congress-led government as the Opposition and the people questioned why Anna Hazare's democratic right to protest peacefully was violated.
Senior ministers came out to say that it was an administrative decision taken by the Delhi Police in view of law and order. But within hours of Mr Hazare having been taken to prison, a clearly political diktat saw his being offered release. To add to the government's discomfiture, Anna Hazare refused to leave prison till his demands were met.
It took tough negotiations and a distinct climb-down by the government to get Mr Hazare to leave jail. And this is not the first time it has blinked first - in April this year, when Anna Hazare first sat on a fast in Delhi in support of the demand for tough law against corruption, it took four days of fasting for thousands to gather in support and force the government to invite him and his team to help draft the Bill.