Narmada Bachao leader Medha Patkar, however, emerged as the final rescuer of theTeam Anna at the last hours’ negotiations with the government and the opposition.
Initially, it was not clear how the government would agree to Anna’s demand for tabling his version of the Bill in Parliament. Home Minister P Chidambaram and Human Resource Minister Kapil Sibal were opposed to any reconciliation.
Shri Shri Ravishankar was the first one to offer mediation.
Though Anna was not inclined to have any dialogue through mediation, he gave him a nod to go ahead.
The Prime Minister’s office accepted Shri Shri Ravishankar’s mediation and told that Team Anna should make the BJP agree to their demands.
Denial
Hazare denied the condition. He insisted that it should be done by the government.
Anna wanted Maharahstra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chauhan to mediate, but he refused citing his local compulsions.Meanwhile, Delhi CM Sheila Dikshit’ son Sandip Diksit, a Lok Sabha MP, stepped in. When Anna realised that his associates could not properly handle the talks with the government, the Gandhian finally took the command in his hands.
According to insiders, he had made it clear to his associates and the mediators in the initial stage only that he would have the final word on everything.
Anna camp also believes that opposition indicated their support and took a public posture of standing behind Anna.
The BJP’s stand in all party meet did not reflect that. The camp became bitter towards the opposition than the ruling Congress.
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