NEW DELHI, Aug 23: With the mass support swelling in favour of a strong Lokpal Bill, the govt today came under increased pressure to reengage Anna Hazare team on the issue and decided to call for an all-party meeting tomorrow to discuss the matter.
The meeting will be held at3.30 pm, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan kumar Bansal said.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh held meetings with top ministers Pranab Mukherjee, P Chidambaram and A K Antony to discuss the current developments.
Later, talking to reporters Minister for Law and Justice Salman Khurshid said he was quite hopeful that some solution would emerge out of the all-party meeting.
When asked whether the govt had initiated any talks with the Anna group, the Home Minister parried the question, saying only the Minister in charge (Salman Khurshid) could tell.
Hazare is on fast since August 16 to press for introduction of a ‘Jan Lokpal Bill’ as different from the govt version introduced in the Lok Sabha in the beginning of the current session.
The anti-corruption activist has described the govt Lokpal Bill as very ineffective and weak. The govt has responded to this charge, saying that Hazare and his group was free to give their inputs to the Standing Committee and could affect the nature of the Bill through elected representatives.
Hazare, who is sitting on indefinite fast at the sprawling Ramlila Maidan here, had on Sunday said that either the govt should bring in the Jan Lokpal Bill or quit.
No breakthrough yet
In the first direct contact between the govt and Team Anna, Law Minister Salman Khurshid today met Arvind Kejriwal and discussed the Lokpal issue in the wake of Hazare’s indefinite fast.
The first meeting, since the crisis erupted on August 16 following the arrest of Hazare, between the two sides took place at the residence of Sandeep Dikshit, MP and son of Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit.
Emerging out of the meeting, Khurshid told reporters that “the meeting was an attempt to understand what is happening and I hope something should happen as time is running out….Wanted to understand the reason for their agitation.”
Contact should be made at every level, Khurshid said.
However, Arvind Kejriwal, a key member of the Tean Anna, said the talks with govt has “begun” but maintained that there was no breakthrough.
“He (Khurshid) just called us for a meeting and asked who will come for discussions. I will go to Annaji and ask him, who will go for discussions,” Kejriwal said.
PM writes to Hazare
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh wrote a letter to Hazare requesting him to end his fast, which entered the second week today. He also told him that the govt was concerned about his health.
In his letter, the Prime Minister told Hazare that govt will ask the Lok Sabha Speaker if his version of the Lokpal Bill can be sent to the Standing Committee, which is already examining the govt’s Bill.
Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi had a meeting with Dr Singh at his residence and discussed the strategy.
Anna’s health worsens,
refuses hospitalization
Disregarding doctor’s advice to be put on Intravenous (IV) drip, fasting Anna Hazare today refused to take any medicine and warned govt against trying to forcibly evict him from the protest site of Ramlila Maidan.
Hazare, who appeared before thousands of his supporters late tonight, said the team of doctors headed by Naresh Trehan had said in the afternoon that he had some problems in his kidney and that he should take some medicine.
Trehan advised Hazare to get hospitalized but the Gandhian refused to do so.
“The entire team has examined Anna Hazare. There are changes in his vital signs. We told him that he needs hospitalization. But he refused saying I want to be here with the people and asked for intravenous drips to be put on him here only,” Trehan said. (Agencies)
