PM open for 'reasoned debate'; Anna says send your rep

New Delhi, Aug 22 (PTI) Indications that Anna Hazare and
government may engage in a dialogue emerged on Monday with the
Gandhian asking a representative to be named for the purpose
by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh who has expressed a
willingness to have a "reasoned debate" on the issue.
Kiran Bedi, one of the leading members of Team Anna,
quoted Hazare, who is on fast for last seven days, as saying
that "let the government come forward to discuss the Jan
Lokpal bill. Let the PM send his representatives."
A senior Marathi journalist Nikhil Wagle, who met the
73-year-old Gandhian, quoted him as saying that Lokpal Bill
negotiations cannot happen with non-government mediators
and added Hazare can talk to the Prime Minister's Office or
Rahul Gandhi. Hazare also said he was ready to talk with
Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan, according
to Wagle.
Earlier, the Prime Minister said the government is open
to a "reasoned debate" on the Lokpal Bill and that the
Parliamentary panel examining it can propose changes.
"We are open to a reasoned debate on all these issues,"
Singh said at the golden jubilee function of the Indian
Institute of Management in Kolkata.
Hazare's hunger strike crossed 150 hours as hundreds of
people poured into Ramlila Maidan to express solidarity with
the Gandhian who began his indefinite fast in police custody
on August 16.
As his protest continued, Team Anna said they were yet to
hear from the government side on the talks. "(Talk of) any
negotiations are rumours," Bedi tweeted.