Sonia not to meet Hazare today; Lokpal deadlocked?

New Delhi, Jun 30: Looks like there are many other road blocks for Anna Hazare and his Lokpal Bill than the UPA government itself. After Hazare went on an enlightenment drive among political parties to drum up support for an effective Lokpal Bill, his proposed audience with Sonia Gandhi on Thursday is not likely to fall through.

The Gandhian has not yet been given an appointment with the Congress President, Sonia Gandhi. The exact reason for which is not yet clear.

Anna Hazare is currently on a sensitising mode and intended to meet Sonia with the same cause. With the Congress rooting for the government's toned down version of the Lokpal compared to the civil society's version, the Anna camp is trying hard to gather supporters for a no-strings attacked anti-corruption ombudsman.

Hazare met with Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) Chief Ajit Pawar on Wednesday and is expected to meet CPI's AB Bardhan and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in Delhi on Thursday. The Anna team has also asked for a meeting with senior BJP leader LK Advani on Friday.

With the views clearly divided on what an effective Lokpal Bill should be, there seem to divided opinion on the coalition standing in the UPA government and certain regional parties who want to utilise their new-found power post-elections. It remains to be seen if the all-party meeting on the Lokpal Bill on July 3 will fizzle out citing the very same reasons. There are also reports that suggest the BJP may choose not to attend the all-party meet.

OneIndia News