Jan Lokpal Bill: Anna Hazare to stay in Tihar Jail, efforts on to break logjam

NEW DELHI: Hectic negotiations were on late Wednesday to break the logjam in Tihar jail from where Anna Hazare has refused to come out despite government climbing down on issues like the venue and period of protest over which it had earlier put stiff conditions.

Team Anna on Wednesday said that Anna Hazare will not leave Tihar jail anytime soon. Kiran Bedi addressed Anna's supporters outside Tihar jail and said that discussion with the government are still on and negotiations are at the final stage, Times Now reported.

There were reports that agreement was reached between the two sides on the venue where Hazare could hold his indefinite fast - shifted from JP Park to more spacious Ramlila maidan - but by Wednesday evening the negotiations were said to be stuck on the number of days he would be allowed to stage his protest.

Senior Delhi Police officials were in discussions with team Anna Hazare in Tihar jail till late in the evening and the civil society activists were said to be insisting on being allowed to stage his fast for a stronger Lokpal for a longer period than the seven days that Police was inclined to allow him.

Highly placed sources said all members of the Hazare team were agreeable to the seven days limit with a rider that the situation could be reviewed everyday thereafter but one activist - Arvind Kejriwal - was not agreeable to it.

Through Delhi Police, the government is understood to have conveyed to Hazare's team that Police would no longer insist on restrictions on the number of people which could attend the fast and movement of people.