Anna will not end fast till Lokpal includes all sticky issues

New Delhi, Aug 26: Team Anna today (Aug 26) made it clear that a mere discussion in Parliament will not serve any purpose and the Gandhian will not call off his fast till Parliament passes a resolution that the cleared Lokpal Bill will include three contentious points raised by them.

"Mere discussion will not be enough," lawyer Prashant Bhushan, a Team Anna member, told reporters here after a meeting with CPI(M) General Secretary Prakash Karat here.

He said Hazare had made it clear that he will break his fast only if Parliament passes a resolution "adopting or indicating clearly" that the Lokpal, which will be passed, includes the three issues.

"Therefore, we need to see what Parliament does on this. There is no point in just discussing it. We had discussed it for the past 42 years and eight times it was introduced in Parliament," Bhushan said.

Bhushan's remarks came as the government earlier said that discussion on Jan Lokpal Bill as demanded by Hazare may not be possible in Lok Sabha during the day. There were reports that some MPs had given notice for discussion on Lokpal issue under a section which does not entail voting.

Government sources last night said that a motion will be brought to facilitate a combined discussion on the Lokpal Bill, the Jan Lokpal Bill brought out by Hazare as also the drafts prepared by activist Aruna Roy and Jai Prakash Narain.

He said there are rules under which the issue can be discussed. "Every rule in Parliament can be waived by a motion. If they want to discuss, they can do," he said.

Addressing protesters at Ramlila Maidan where Hazare is sitting on a fast, another Team Anna member Kiran Bedi echoed Bhushan's views and said Hazare will end the fast once Parliament passes a resolution which includes three sticky issues -- all civil servants should be brought under Lokpal, a Citizen Charter should be displayed at all government offices and all states should have Lokayukta.

PTI