Government calls all-party meet to discuss Lokpal Bill

New Delhi, Aug 23: Amid the standoff with Team Anna over the Lokpal Bill, government has convened an all-party meeting on Wednesday to find a way to solve the issue. Leaders of all political parties have been invited to attend the meet scheduled for 3.30 pm tomorrow (Aug 24).

Sources said government is of the view that some of the demands put forth by Hazare and his associates require a wider political consensus before a decision could be taken.

In a related development, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today held a detailed meeting with Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, looking into the Lokpal Bill.

Sources said the meeting discussed various options to end the impasse over the issue as Hazare's fast entered the eighth day today.

Singhvi had on Monday said that difference between the government and Hazare on Lokpal Bill were more to do with methodology rather than content and said the Committee on Law and Justice and Personnel was open to all kinds of opinions and inputs to send a strong and acceptable to all Lokpal Bill back to Parliament.

Congress member Praveen Singh Aron has already submitted a copy of Hazare's Jan Lokpal Bill for consideration of the Committee.

PTI