Within an hour of opposition leader Sushma Swaraj joining the prime minister in the lok sabha to appeal jan lokpal crusader Anna Hazare to end his fast, Bhartiya Janata Party president Nitin Gadkari virtually withdrew the appeal.

"We were assured by the government (in the all-party meeting on August 24) that it was seized of the matter and a way out was being found to break the impasse. It was in that spirit that the BJP appealed to you to end your fast so that you may continue to serve the nation," Gadkari said in a 2-page letter to Hazare. "I am deeply concerned about your health. We all wish you a long life and every success in your struggle," he said.

Expressing shock at the government backing out on all the promises made to Team Anna during the much publicised official talks on Tuesday, he deplored the changing of stance by the government and visible hardening of its position and warned it against "any misadventure in this regard."

"The nation was given to understand by the government that the talks with the Team Anna were progressing satisfactorily and that a mutually agreed solution was in sight. I fail to understand where the things have gone wrong. Is the government not concerned about your health? Are there any internal bickering within the government? If it is so, it is appalling," Gadkari wrote.

Declaring that the BJP accepts the Jan Lokpal Bill as the basis for a strong and effective Lokpal to be put in place at the earliest "without getting into procedural wrangles," he wrote that his party has been and will continue to be solidly behind Anna's movement against corruption.

"The BJP has all along been with you in your crusade against corruption. In fact, it was the BJP which had exposed the UPA's scams and scandals in and outside Parliament," he added.

At the daily press briefing, party spokesman S S Ahluwalia denied that the party president has come under pressure of former foreign minister Yashwant Sinha and two other MPs, threatening to resign from the Lok Sabha, to lend full support to Anna's Bill.

Asserting that the party has not changed its stand, he claimed the party feels the Jan Lokpal Bill can be the basis of legislation on an effective anti-corruption watchdog. He denied that the party had accepted the bill that it had manintained as 'not acceptable' just two days ago.

He said the party's stand as explained by him two days ago remained unchanged and that there are some provisions in the Bill that are acceptable and some others that are not acceptable and as such it is not acceptable in toto.