Anna's fast should be allowed: Nitish

Patna, Aug 13: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today lent full support to Anna Hazare''s movement against corruption asserting that everybody had the constitutional and democratic right to hold agitation for a cause and so Hazare''s fast be allowed.

"Everybody holds constitutional and democratic right to agitate against a cause and under the given condition, Hazare's fast is justified and should be allowed," Kumar told reporters while reacting to Delhi police granting permission to the right activist to observe fast "just for three days."

He said in a democratic set-up, it was the fundamental right to oppose "in a peaceful and non-violent way" as "we are a democratic society and live under constitutional arrangement in which everybody has the right to protest democratically."

"At this point of time, it is not not justified to prevent Anna Hazare ji from holding the fast at a particular place and at particular time," he said.

"It is beyond my comprehension why condition is being set asking Hazare to hold fast just for three days... it means that they are afraid and scared of people," Kumar said.

The chief minister, however, said he believed in the ideology of Lohia (Rammanohar Lohia) and it is my personal view not to sit on fast on any issue "but on the issue of corruption, I thoroughly rally behind Anna ji."

PTI