Anna Hazare and the government were set for a showdown after the cabinet Tuesday finalised its Lokpal bill bringing the prime minister under its ambit but leaving out two other key demands of the activists -- inclusion of the CBI and the lower bureaucracy. A furious Hazare dubbed the government "dishonest" and vowed a hunger strike from Dec 27.

Capping weeks of intense internal debate within the government and the Congress party, the cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, approved the bill after an hour-long meeting in the parliament house.