Rahul steps in, meets Singh

Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday following growing clamour within the party that he step in to help resolve the crisis over the Lokpal Bill.

Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday following growing clamour within the party that he step in to help resolve the crisis over the Lokpal Bill.

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This was the second time Rahul intervened in the issue. Last week, he had stepped in to help Anna Hazare get released from jail.

A senior party functionary, however, denied reports circulating earlier in the day that Congress president Sonia Gandhi had spoken to the PM on the issue. Sonia is currently recuperating abroad following a surgery.

Party sources said the olive branch extended to the Anna camp by Congress parliamentarian Sandeep Dikshit had Rahul's blessings.

Dikshit met Rahul on Monday to clarify his reported statement that the decision to arrest Hazare was a "mistake".

Rahul gave him the go-ahead to open fresh channels of communication with Team Anna. He also used his "NGO connections" to rope in some members of the team.

"If Rahul initiates a dialogue with Team Anna, I am sure he can not only defuse the tension but also prepare the ground for a common consensus which can give shape to a holistic legislation," said Gurdaspur MP Partap Singh Bajwa.