NEW DELHI: Activist Anna Hazare had lost five kg of weight as he entered his seventh day of fast for a strong anti-corruption bill on Monday, Team Anna member Arvind Kejriwal said.

"Ketone particles have been traced from his blood and urine... He has lost five kg of weight, his health is all right otherwise," Kejriwal told reporters at Ramlila Ground where Anna Hazare is sitting on fast.

Ketones are particles created by the body during starvation, and are meant to provide an alternate source of fuel from fatty acids.

Anna Hazare was detained on August 16 and taken to Tihar Jail, where he remained until Friday when he shifted to Ramlila ground.

The Anna Hazare camp on Sunday stepped up its campaign by demonstrating at the PM's residence and the Gandhian leader delivering a "Lokpal bill lao ya jao (bring Lokpal bill or go)" call.

The campaign's escalation came on a day that saw crowd support for the protests swelling dramatically, with large turnouts at India Gate and Ramlila Maidan.

Efforts to resolve the standoff also got underway, with intermediaries meeting telecom minister Kapil Sibal late on Sunday evening. Veteran Maharashtra bureaucrat U C Sarangi and longtime Hazare associate Bhayyuji Maharaj met the fasting leader for around 20 minutes earlier in the day. They were later closeted with Sibal.

Sarangi and Maharaj had taken a summary of the government's Lokpal bill to Hazare, but the activists dismissed it, saying it did not amount to any new proposals.

After the meeting with Sibal, campaign leaders said discussions were of a general nature and no proposal was conveyed to the government. Bhayyuji Maharaj said the talks were positive and both sides were flexible.

In response to the government's overtures, Team Anna said they were willing to talk and that a negotiator should be appointed by the government. While Arvind Kejriwal said the government should tell them whom to meet and when, Swami Agnivesh added that the government should introduce the Jan Lokpal bill in Parliament to create trust.
source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com