New Delhi: With Anna Hazare threatening to
renew his protest on Lokpal, the Centre on Thursday defended the
handling of the Gandhian's agitation four months ago and
stressed that any future stir will also be "dealt" by the
Delhi Police.
Stressing that the government was never in a "tizzy"
during the Ramlila Maidan protest, Union Home Secretary R K
Singh said both the agitations of yoga guru Ramdev and Anna
Hazare were handled "very well" with the "best available
option and judgement" and justified the arrest of the
Gandhian.
"I do not agree with the people who said he (Hazare)
should never have been sent to jail. Absolutely no question.
Had I been in the place of (Delhi) Police Commissioner, I
would have done exactly what he did," he said at a press
conference.
Singh was responding to a question on whether the central
government considered the handling of the protests by Anna
Hazare and Ramdev a few months ago as a success or a failure.
Asked how the government intends to deal with any future
agitation by Hazare, Singh said, "The matter will be dealt by
Delhi Police and the Commissioner of Police who is in-charge
of the law and order. It will be dealt according to the best
judgement and I have fullest confidence on their judgement."
Singh said the government does not handle any law and
order situation by taking public opinion but by the best
available option at that particular time and best judgement.
“I think both the agitations were handled very well. The
government was never in a tizzy. There was no question of
government being in a tizzy."
Singh said, "Of course, many people had expressed the view
that X should not have been put in jail or Y should not have
been put in jail. I think if you go by a poll and ask
different people what we should have done, you will never be
able to handle any law and order (situation).
"We do not handle law and order that way. We never have
handled law and order that way. You handle law and order
according to the best of your judgement and what you think
best at that point of time."
There has been criticism of the government handling of
the agitation of Baba Ramdev against blackmoney in April and
fast by Anna Hazare demanding a Jan Lokpal Bill in August.
Hazare has announced he will relaunch his agitation from
December 27 if a strong Lokpal bill is not passed in the
ongoing Parliament session.
PTI
First Published: Thursday, December 01, 2011, 20:50