Anna issue: Sushma demands PM's statement in House

New Delhi, Aug 16: BJP leader Sushma Swaraj today (Aug 16) demanded that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh make a statement in Lok Sabha on the issue of Anna Hazare's detention.

"A statement from the Home Minister on the issue (Hazare) is not acceptable to us. We want Prime Minister's statement in the House. Whatever has happened, the Prime Minister must explain," Swaraj, who is the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, told reporters outside Parliament.

She said, "If the Prime Minister gives a statement then there will be a discussion on it. If the Prime Minister does not give a statement, then we will decide our future course of action."

Making a scathing attack on the government for "adopting undemocratic methods inside and outside the House", Swaraj said, "This is happening for the first time that the Speaker's ruling was challenged by the Parliamentary Affairs Minister.

"The Speaker allowed me to speak in the House but Parliamentary Affairs Minister (Pawan Bansal) said he would not allow me to speak. It is strange that the government whose responsibility is to run the House disrupted the House," she said.

"Government is showing imbalance in Anna Hazare episode. First four senior ministers negotiated with Hazare and now they are saying he is corrupt. The government is hell-bent on crushing civil rights of the citizens."

Questioning the government's decision to arrest Anna, she said, "Prohibitory orders under Section 144 CrPC were imposed in JP Park but Hazare was arrested from Mayur Vihar where no Section 144 was imposed."

PTI