Civil society members led by Mr Anna Hazare made it clear on Tuesday that they do not intend to quit the Lokpal Bill Joint Drafting Committee (JDC).

They also announced they would go on a one-day fast at Rajghat on Wednesday to protest against police action on Baba Ramdev's ‘satyagraha' on June 4.

On Monday, civil society members had boycotted the joint panel meeting. This was flayed by the Human Resource Development Minister, Mr Kapil Sibal, who said drafting work would continue “irrespective of whether anyone attends or not”.

Activist, Mr Arvind Kejriwal, a member of the JDC, told reporters that civil society members would attend the next meeting. He said they had written to the Finance Minister, Mr Pranab Mukherjee, saying that they would not be attending the June 6 meeting.

“We also said that Mr Hazare will not be available on June 10, so the meeting on that should be postponed. This makes it clear that we are going to attend meetings. We are not going to leave the committee just like that,” he said.

RAMDEV STANCE

Baba Ramdev, who resumed his agitation in Haridwar against black money, corruption and the police action on his supporters, said he “forgave” the Prime Minister for the crackdown on June 4, even as the Congress accused him and Mr Hazare of being ‘masks' of destabilising forces.

“Over the past 10 months, there have been systematic attempts to undermine the stability of the Government,” the Congress spokesman, Mr Manish Tewari, told reporters.

Sources said the Yoga Guru was facing heat from the Enforcement Directorate and the Income Tax Department, which are examining operations of several companies under his trusts, Patanjali Yogpeeth and Divya Yog Mandir.

The turnover of the two trusts is said to be over Rs 1,100 crore in 2009-10.

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