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          .New Delhi, Aug 14 (IANS) Angry at the Delhi Police restrictions   for his upcoming fast, social activist Anna Hazare Saturday accused the   government of betraying the nation's trust, and said if he had known it would   cheat, he would not have called off his April fast. Prime Minister Manmohan   Singh denied any role in the decision and suggested Hazare take up the matter   with police.
 
 
 |  Addressing the media ahead of his fast from Aug 16, a day after India celebrates   its 65th Independence Day, Hazare said because of the government's   misgovernance, the US got the opportunity to pass remarks on the country's   internal matters -- a reference to a US State Department official's call for   "restraint" in dealing with the fast. 
 "We did not know that we will be   cheated. If we had known then, we would have told the government to agree to all   our demands or the fast will not be broken. But we trusted the government and it   cheated us," Hazare said.
 
 The 72-year-old activist was referring to his   fast in April when he went without food for five days - a move that forced the   government to agree on a strong Lokpal bill against corruption.
 
 The   activist also slammed the restrictions put up by Delhi Police now for his second   hunger strike.
 
 Delhi Police have allowed Team Anna to hold the protest   for just three days at a park in central Delhi and also asked them to restrict   the crowd to 4,000-5,000.
 
 Besides, police have imposed 22 additional   restrictions, including no provocative speeches and limiting use of   loudspeakers.
 
 Soon after the police order Friday night, Hazare shot off   a letter to Manmohan Singh, terming the police move "undemocratic" and a   violation of his fundamental rights.
 
 He said despite the restriction, he   would go ahead with the fast and if arrested, he would continue it in jail.
 
 "I am writing to you with a hope that you will protect our fundamental   right. It is your duty to protect the democracy and the constitution and I am   hopeful that you will take some action regarding this," he said in his two-page   letter.
 
 In his reply late Saturday, the prime minister told Hazare that   his office was not involved in the decision to restrict Hazare's fast to three   days and suggested he should approach the authorities concerned with his   grievances.
 
 "Your grievance that the police has given you permission to   protest and go on fast at JP Park only for three days needs to be addressed by   the statutory authorities who have taken that decision. My Office does not in   any way get involved in the decision-making process," the prime minister wrote   in the letter, made available to media.
 
 "The terms and conditions on   which you are entitled to carry on with your protest are decided by the   statutory authorities concerned taking into account the prevailing circumstances   and other relevant factors," Manmohan Singh said, adding: "I would request you   to address your grievances to the statutory authorities concerned."
 
 Meanwhile, Lokpal bill drafting committee member and co-chair Shanti   Bhushan called the Delhi Police order "unconstitutional".
 
 "The government   is putting restrictions similar to emergency. Requiring such an undertaking is   absurd and totally unconstitutional. Therefore, there is no question of giving   any such undertaking," said Bhushan.
 
 However, Delhi Police said that no   fast will be allowed without agitators giving an undertaking accepting all   restrictions.
 
 Hazare's fast is to press the government to include in the   official draft legislation provisions of their Jan Lokpal bill that puts the   prime minister and higher judiciary within the ambit of an ombudsman. The   government version of the bill, introduced in parliament on Aug 4, does not   include these provisions.
 
 The government had set up a 10-member committee   - five cabinet ministers and five social rights activists - after Hazare's fast   in April. The committee met several times amidst acrimony and disagreement over   the bill provisions.
 
 The committee finally decided to present before the   cabinet two different versions. But it was only the government version that got   the official nod.
 
 
 
 
      
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