According to sources in the government, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee is firmly against activist Anna Hazare's demand for formally constituting a joint committee, with representatives from the civil society and the government, to draft a strong anti-corruption bill.
Hazare has been on an indefinite fast in New Delhi since Wednesday to press for his demand.
In fact, Mukherjee has stopped the government from issuing a notification to make the joint committee formal, according to a source in the government.
Mukherjee's stance has been supported by Commerce Minister Anand Sharma.
In fact, though many in the government are surprised at the groundswell of support to Hazare, they have strongly objected to his demands. Several prominent government and media personalities are against Anna's methods.
A New Delhi daily has stated that the government cannot buckle under Anna's demand.
A senior Cabinet minister, who opposes the stringent Lok Pal bill, told rediff.com, "People who are supporting Anna Hazare have no idea what they are asking for. If a strong Lok Pal bill is introduced, then the Lok Pal will become a dictator. He will become the ruler. No government would be stable if the Lok Pal gets unrestricted power. He will become a threat to Indian democracy."
He added, "The government can't run on an individual's ideas. Today, Hazare wants something so he has gone on a fast .Tomorrow Baba Ramdev can start a hunger strike to push through his demands. How can you run the government if people keep threatening you? In that case, what's the use of running the government?"
