Ready to talk to Hazare if PM wants, says Shinde

Union Power Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde said in Solapur on Sunday that if Prime Minister Manmohan Singh wanted him to be a mediator and talk to social activist Anna Hazare, he was willing.

Shinde, a former Maharashtra chief minister, knows the 73-year-old anti-corruption crusader well.

Talking to reporters in Solapur, Shinde said that government wanted to curb the corruption, but there was no quick-fix.

He refused to answer when asked whether Hazare's campaign was justifiable, but said the Prime Minister would resolve the situation soon.

Image: Union minister Sushil Kumar Shinde