Anna to consider alternative venue for his stir

New Delhi: Anna Hazare on Sunday said he was ready to consider Delhi Police's suggestion to opt for a site other than Jantar Mantar here for his indefinite fast on Lokpal Bill issue from August 16 if all facilities were provided for people to join his protest.

"If you don't let us protest at Jantar Mantar, then tell us another suitable place? If there is some good place where there are facilities for all the people who join the protest, then we have no problems.

"The issue is that corruption needs to be rooted out. We are not worried about the venue," Hazare, who reached Delhi this afternoon, said, adding that he was ready to think about an alternative site.

Hazare's remarks came as Delhi Police suggested that he look for an alternative site in the city's outskirts like Burari in North Delhi or Ajmal Khan Park in West Delhi if he wants to go ahead with his protest for more than a day.

Reacting to the Lokpal Bill cleared by the Union Cabinet last Thursday, he said the legislation was weak. "This is cheating. People will teach them a lesson," he said.

He said his protest from August 16 is not against Parliament but against the "weak bill".

Delhi Police has said they have not taken a final view on giving permission to Hazare's protest at Jantar Mantar and are awaiting reply from his team on certain points raised by it.

In a letter send to the Hazare team which sought permission for the protest starting from August 16, police have asked them to clarify how many days they propose to sit on dharna and the expected number of people who will gather at the protest site.

A senior police official said they have told the Hazare team in the letter that police could give permission to the Gandhian to hold the protest at Jantar Mantar if it is for a day which could see a participation of not more than 2,000 people.

"We have neither granted permission nor denied it as of now. We are awaiting reply from them to our letter sent 10 days ago," a senior police official said.

Delhi Police has cited a 2009 order of the Supreme Court and has said that they cannot give permission for indefinite dharna anywhere in Delhi including in Jantar Mantar as Parliament would be in session beginning August 1.

Police authorities said that no one group can be allowed to capture the entire space at Jantar Mantar as many groups conduct protests during this period.