PM persuades Hazare not to undertake fast

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has won over 72- year old social activist Anna Hazare from going on fast in Delhi, promising a group led by him that the government will engage with civil society in addressing concerns over corruption.

The group belonging to " India against corruption" initiative met the PM on Monday evening and argued that the country expected meaningful reforms to tackle the menace of corruption in public life.

The Prime Minister was quoted telling the group that " I appreciate and share your concerns on corruption." He urged Hazare not to resort to a fast unto death as his government was alive to the problem of corruption and doing all to fight it at every level. Hazare had already given up the fast plan from March 5 after the PM invited the group for the meeting.

The group presented a copy of the draft it has prepared for constituting the office of the Lokpal and appreciated the PM's offer to discuss it with a sub- committee of the Group of Ministers headed by Pranab Mukherjee set up in January to tackle corruption.

Those in the group who met the Prime Minister were Hazare, former police officer Kiran Bedi, activists Arvind Kejriwal, Swami Agnivesh, Archbishop Vincent and Kuldip
Chikara, lawyers Shanti Bhushan and Prashant Bhushan (father and son), Darshak Hathi of Art of Living and P V Rajagopal.