In a bid to arrive at a consensus on the Lokpal Bill, government had reached out to the Opposition leaders and held discussions on some of the issues on which they differed.
While the opposition is insisting that CBI be made autonomous and taken out of the ambit of the government, the latter is not willing to part with the agency, sources said.
Law Minister Salman Khurshid, HRD Minister Kapil Sibal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal have held discussions with the Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley and CPI-M leader Sitaram Yechury on the issue.
The Lokpal Bill was passed by the Lok Sabha in the winter session but is pending in the Upper House. The union cabinet is likely to discuss it.
Though the government is not in agreement on making CBI autonomous, it has reportedly agreed with the opposition that the agency's Director should be appointed by a collegium to bring about transparency, said the sources.
The opposition has also demanded that the body which chooses the Lokpal should be neutral and have less government presence and control. The number of judges in this selection committee may be brought down. (MORE)
