Lokpal Bill: Anna Hazare rejects govt's offer of informal panel

Fasting anti-corruption activist Anna Hazare and his supporters on Thursday rejected the government's offer to set up an informal committee of activists and ministers on the contentious Lokpal Bill.

While the government had offered an informal panel, Hazare wanted a notification on the joint panel.

The offer was rejected even as HRD Minister Kapil Sibal and Hazare's representatives Swami Agnivesh and RTI activist Arvind Kejriwal continued to stay in touch to try and resolve the issue.

Sibal met Agnivesh and Kejriwal at his residence to find a way out on the civil society groups' demand for a joint committee to draft the Lokpal Bill. Sibal said the broad parametres of solving the issue have been agreed upon.

Anti-corruption activist Anna Hazare is on an indefinite hunger strike over changes proposed in the Lokpal Bill.

"We have started a channel of communication. We met last evening. We met today as well. The talks have been constructive...The +formalities are yet to be agreed upon. We are meeting again," he said.

"We want to deal with corruption. We want to get rid of corruption. We want the civil society to participate. We have no problem with that," Sibal said, appealing to Hazare to call off the hunger strike.

"The objective of the government and civil society is to sit together and deal with the issue of corruption effectively through an appropriate legislation," he said.

Agnivesh said he will inform Hazare, whose fast unto death has entered its third day, about the outcome of talks. He described the talks as "positive" and said the final decision would be his.

Sibal, who is negotiating on the part of the government, also met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the issue. He is slated to hold further meetings with Hazare's representatives.

- With PTI inputs