Anna Hazare is on the fourth day of his fast in Delhi The Indian government has offered to form a new panel to draft a strong anti-graft law in response to activist Anna Hazare’s “fast unto death”.
The government says the panel will include members of the civil society.
However, differences remain between Mr Hazare and the government on who would head the panel and whether it would be “officially notified”.
Mr Hazare says he is fasting to pressure the government to enact comprehensive anti-corruption laws.
On Thursday, Congress leader Sonia Gandhi urged Mr Hazare to give up his fast, which has entered its fourth day.
She said his views would “receive the government’s full attention as we move forward to fight this menace [of corruption]”.
Earlier, federal minister Kapil Sibal announced that the government was willing to form a panel comprising five members each from the government and civil society to draft the Jan Lokpal Bill (Citizen’s Ombudsman Bill).
However, Mr Hazare has demanded that this panel be “officially notified” so that, in the words of his emissaries, it has some “legal sanction”.
“An official notification is needed to ensure that the government does not make a fool of us,” his emissary, Arvind Kejriwal said.
Also, while anti-corruption activists want Mr Hazare to head the panel, the government has proposed Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee.
Almost 2,000 people, including various civil society activists, have joined the protest with Mr Hazare at the historic Jantar Mantar observatory in Delhi.
Protests and hunger strikes have been reported from other Indian cities.
Earlier this week, Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar quit a government panel on corruption when Mr Hazare questioned his credentials.
Mr Pawar said he no longer wished to be associated with the probe.
Correspondents say that Mr Hazare’s fast has rallied people across the country disillusioned with the recent spate of scandals – he is highly respected as a social activist with an untarnished reputation.
Bollywood stars, including superstar Aamir Khan, retired police officer Kiran Bedi, social reformist Swami Agnivesh and former cricketer Kapil Dev have also added their support to his cause.
The 72-year-old campaigner is refusing all food until the government accedes to his demands.
Doctors are checking Mr Hazare twice a day to monitor his health.
Some of the recent corruption scandals to have rocked India include a multi-billion dollar alleged telecoms scam, alleged financial malpractices in connection with the Commonwealth Games which India hosted, and allegations that houses for war widows were diverted to civil servants.
Last month the head of the country’s anti-corruption watchdog was forced to resign by the Supreme Court on the grounds that he himself faced corruption charges.
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