We have an open mind on bill: Govt

 Union Water Resources Minister Salman Khurshid - part of the 10-member Joint Drafting Committee set up to prepare a draft Lok Pal Bill - said here the five Union Ministers on the panel were "going with an open mind".

"But it does not mean that we are going to give up on our training, our experience, our understanding of the constitutional system...we have constraints. We have certain context with which we'll go with an open mind willing to get persuaded with anything so long as that persuasion is acceptable to a larger body called Parliament," Khurshid told 'India Tonight' programme to be aired tonight on CNBC TV18.He, however, did not elaborate on what the "constraints" were.Khurshid made it clear that the ministers will not attend the meetings "saying we have nothing on our constitutional plate and now, tell us what you want us to do.

"To a question on government succumbing to the demands made by Gandhian Anna Hazare on notifying the committee, Khurshid said "there is no surrender. The government did not cave in...did what the Prime Minister said and did what was felt to be the right thing."

He also termed the demand for notifying the committee as a "unusual".Replying to a question, Khurshid said people may ask why the government initially did not agree to the demands of Hazare on Lok Pal bill. "But if there has been a war, it is important to get back to peace as quickly as you can," he added.He said that during negotiations, some level of margin has to be kept as both sides begin talks from extreme positions.