NEW DELHI, June 5 � Agitated over the treatment meted out to Baba Ramdev, Anna Hazare-led civil society today announced a day-long nationwide hunger strike on Wednesday in protest and decided to boycott the meetings of Lokpal drafting committee in another
showdown with the government.
Accusing the government of having suspicious intent with regard to dealing with corruption, Hazare said the civil society would defy prohibitory orders on Wednesday at Jantar Mantar to protest the police action against Baba Ramdev�s movement.
However, Hazare said he has �some issues� with the yoga guru and would not share the dais with him at Jantar Mantar.
�We have been interacting with this government in the Joint Committee for the last one and a half months. The incidents of the last night and the proceedings of earlier meetings clearly make government�s intentions in dealing with corruption suspect.
�The government has been trying to crush anti-corruption movement. We have therefore decided not to attend Joint Committee meetings,� he told a press conference.
Hazare said his side was writing a letter to Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, who is the chairman of the joint drafting committee on Lokpal Bill, asking the government to make its stand public on some of the key issues related to the anti-corruption legislation.
�We have already made our stand clear on these issues. After we receive government�s response, we will decide whether any useful public purpose would be served in attending joint committee meetings,� he said.
On Ramdev, the Gandhian said he has to �sort out� the issues with the yoga guru before sharing the same platform for any protests. However, he was quick to add that he supported the issue of black money raised by Ramdev.
