Grappling with the situation arising out of Anna Hazare’s fast, the Government today held hectic consultations to find a way out of the logjam with Team Anna demanding that it mandate somebody officially for opening a political dialogue on the Lokpal issue.
The Finance Minister, Mr Pranab Mukherjee, held talks with senior ministers, including Mr Sharad Pawar and Mr Vilasrao Deshmukh, both of whom are from Maharashtra, a state from where Mr Hazare hails.
Mr Deshmukh, as Chief Minister, has the experience of successfully dealing with the situation arising out of earlier fasts undertaken by Mr Hazare in the state.
The Maharashtra Additional Chief Secretary, Mr U.C. Sarangi, had held three rounds of talks with Mr Hazare in the last few days and has now gone back to Mumbai.
The parleys Mr Pranab Mukherjee held with Mr Pawar and Mr Deshmukh come close on the heels of the talks Mr Sarangi, as also spiritual leader Bhaiyyuji Maharaj, had with Mr Hazare. The spiritual leader is considered close to Mr Deshmukh.
The meeting between Mr Pranab Mukherjee and the ministers was held soon after the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, had a detailed meeting with the Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee, Mr Abhishek Manu Singhvi, looking into the Lokpal Bill earlier today.
Sources said the meeting discussed various options to end the impasse over the issue as Mr Hazare’s fast entered the eighth day today.
An all-party meeting has been convened tomorrow to discuss the Lokpal issue.