New Delhi, Aug 27 (IANS): As the parliament prepared to hold a special sitting to debate the Lokpal bill issue Saturday, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal said he was hopeful that activist Anna Hazare would end his fast which entered day 12.
"I can only hope that the fast ends today, let the parliament session start. There is no proposal as such. This is the time for discussion," Bansal told reporters outside parliament hours before the session was set to start.
"Team Anna had asked for a written statement from the government. The government agreed to it," Bansal added.
The Lok Sabha will take up for debate various Lokpal bills, including the civil society's Jan Lokpal bill at 11 a.m. after Leader of the House and Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee makes a statement on the matter.
Hazare, 74, has been on fast since Aug 16 to push for a strong anti-corruption law.