Anna Hazare's fast demanding a strong Lokpal entered the fifth day on Saturday with his Team saying they were ready to talk to the government but no such communication channels have been opened.
Activist Swami Agnivesh on Friday launched an attack on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, accusing them of being silent about crucial issues and not listening to the voices of the people. Addressing protestors as Anna Hazare launched his fast at Ramlila Maidan in New Delhi, he said, "Mr Manmohan Singh, the country wants you to end your silence and open your mouth. You have been silent for the past three years".
Here's how four dots -- a migrant seller of papads from Uttar Pradesh's Pratapgarh, an first year BCom student from Punjab's Jalandhar, an BSc Honours student from Delhi's Hauz Khas and a student of commerce from Haryana's Gurgaon -- connect with each other in a neat circle outside the footpath that abuts Delhi's Ramlila Maidan.
Anna Hazare and his supporters have given a two-page undertaking to the police on the activist's protest fast in Ramlila Maidan, saying they would abide by existing rules and regulations and the crowd will not exceed the capacity of the ground. In the undertaking signed by Anna Hazare himself and his associates -- Arvind Kejriwal, Prashant Bhushan, Kiran Bedi and Shanti Bhushan -- they also said that if any clause of it was violated, they would be liable to be prosecuted.
In a late night breakthrough in the deadlock between Anna Hazare and Delhi police over the duration of his anti-corruption protest, the Gandhian accepted the offer for 14 days of hunger strike beginning on Thursday at the Ramlila Maidan.
Civil society activist Kiran Bedi, in a tweet early morning on Thursday said that social activist Anna Hazare has accepted the Delhi police offer of a two-week fast at Ramlila Maidan.
Kanimozhi and Kalmadi were welcomed as if they were freedom fighters emerging from jail. Getting bail does not mean that the cases against them have come to an end, or that they have been found innocent by the trial courts, says T V R Shenoy.
The Delhi police is understood to have sought two more days to take a decision on giving permission to social activist Anna Hazare to organise his indefinite fast against Lokpal Bill in New Delhi even as his team has secured a no-objection certificate from the Municipal Corporation of Delhi to hold the protest at Ramlila Maidan.
Yoga guru Ramdev on Monday alleged in the Supreme Court that Home Minister P Chidambaram was behind the midnight crackdown on him and his followers during the protests on the issue of black money at the Ramlila Maidan in June.
Union Home Ministry and Delhi government have not submitted their report to the National Human Rights Commission on the police action against Ramdev's supporters at the Ramlila Maidan in New Delhi, prompting the rights body to issue a fresh notice to them.
Twenty days after he was bundled out of Delhi, yoga guru Ramdev on Sunday came back to the national capital to visit a woman follower who was seriously injured in the crackdown during his protest against corruption.
Delhi Police on Friday justified in the Supreme Court its midnight crackdown on yoga guru Baba Ramdev and his supporters protesting against corruption and black money at the Ramlila Maidan in New Delhi, saying permission had been given only to hold a yoga camp.
Rajeev Srinivasan on the cavalier nature of the Indian State's actions against its own citizens
Anna Hazare and his supporters, on Wednesday evening, ended their day-long fast to protest the police crackdown against yoga guru Baba Ramdev and his followers at Ramlila Maidan in Delhi. Hazare ended the fast at 6 pm.
The National Commission for Women on Monday said it has sought a report from the Delhi Police on the midnight crackdown on Baba Ramdev's supporters at Delhi's Ramlila Maidan.
Activist Anna Hazare has decided to join Baba Ramdev in the latter's indefinite fast against corruption. Baba Ramdev is scheduled to hold an indefinite fast at the Ramlila Maidan in Delhi from June 4 to demand repatriation of the black money stashed in foreign banks. His supporters will also join him in the fast in 624 districts across the country to demand stricter steps to deal with corruption.Hazare has announced his decision to join the fast from June 5.
For many in India, the post-midnight swoop on hundreds of anti-Wall Street protestors camping at the Zuccotti park area of New York since the past two months brought back memories of the manner in which the Delhi Police evicted Baba Ramdev from Ramlila Maidan.
Bharatiya Janta Party President Nitin Gadkari on Friday claimed that the Congress would have dealt with Anna Hazare's fast at Ramlila Maidan the same way it dealt with Baba Ramdev's fast, had the main opposition party not declared support to Hazare.
Noted social activist Swami Agnivesh has said that there is no need to show any leniency to Team Anna members Prashant Bhushan, Arvind Kejriwal and Kiran Bedi if they are found guilty of violating the law of the land.
If what is said about them is only a perception, then lawmakers ought to bother about it and correct it by deeds, writes Mahesh Vijapurkar
Sneha Kothawade, a young member of Team Anna, credits great team management and organisation for the victory of 'people power' at Ramlila maidan.
Bedi said her action on Friday speaking from a stage at Ramlila Maidan went against her "grain" but asserted she did not mean to hurt anybody. "It went against my grain. It is not in my training but it was worth it...I did not mean to hurt anybody," she said.
Eight-year-old Ikrah and five-year-old Simran took centrestage at the Ramlila Maidan on Sunday when they gave a glass of tender coconut water to Anna Hazare for ending his fast on the Lokpal issue after 12 days.
After securing Parliament's nod on key elements of Jan Lokpal bill, Anna Hazare on Sunday ended his 12-day-old fast declaring that electoral reforms will be next on his agenda.
Gandhian Anna Hazare, who had meditated at Rajghat before launching his fast on August 16, will not visit Mahatma Gandhi's samadhi after ending his hunger strike because of health reasons.
"I am not the biggest hero, Anna (Hazare) is the real hero," said superstar Aamir Khan on Saturday as he pledged support to the activist's fight for a strong anti-corruption law.
The Congress on Monday stepped up its attack on the BJP-led Centre over the issue of price rise with Rahul Gandhi saying the biggest problems facing the country were unemployment, inflation and growing hatred.
As Anna Hazare's fast spilled over to the 12th day, doctors on Saturday raised concerns over his health saying they are more worried as the Gandhian's blood pressure has dipped while heart beat has increased.
Though officially the Delhi Police maintained that the move was to 'ensure the safety of Hazare and his supporters', rediff.com has learnt that the law enforcement agency fears a law and order situation that may arise if and when Hazare is shifted to the hospital
Amidst the sloganeering and singing by protestors at Ramlila Maidan in Delhi, a visibly frail Anna Hazare made a brief appearance on the stage. "The team of doctors is worried about my health, especially my kidney problem. I will introspect and then take a call at 10 pm tonight," said Anna Hazare.
Doctors have advised Anna Hazare, whose fast entered eighth day on Tuesday, not to venture into the sun as it could have a negative impact on his health.
The Supreme Court will hear on Monday the suo-moto case on the police crackdown on yoga guru Baba Ramdev and his followers at Ramlila Ground on June 4. The court had on June 6 taken suo motu cognisance of the police action on a gathering of Ramdev and his followers at Ramlila Maidan where they were staging a protest on the issue of corruption and black money. They had asked the Centre and Delhi police to explain why there was a need to use teargas and baton-charge.
The Congress on Friday called senior leader Ghulam Nabi Azad's resignation 'unfortunate' and termed the timing 'awful', saying it has come at a time when the party is engaged in combating the Bharatiya Janata Party on various issues.
The government and Baba Ramdev have been unable to come to a negotiated settlement over the Baba's indefinite fast at Delhi's Ramlila Maidan. But the real story is the widening gulf between the Sonia Gandhi-led Congress party and the Dr Manmohan Singh led United Progressive Alliance government which has now come out almost in the open. In an interesting development, Sonia Gandhi called a meeting of senior leaders at her residence at 6.30 pm on Saturday.
"We will wait for the passing of the bill till the current session of Parliament comes to an end in May. If it does not happen we will have another one and half year before the next general elections are held."
Fandom of Kejriwal, who led the AAP to a scintillating win in the February 8 polls bagging 62 of the 70 seats, was visible as people chose innovative ways to express their sentiments at the venue that was transformed into a sea of colours as the crowd waved party flags and the tricolours.
India on Sunday paid homage to Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi on his 63rd death anniversary. A series of functions are being organised throughout the country to mark the occasion. In New Delhi, a march against corruption will be taken out to mark the occasion. The protest march will start from Ramlila Maidan and conclude at Jantar Mantar. The protest march will be led by eminent people from all walks of life such as Kiran Bedi, RTI activist Arvind Kejriwal.
Anna Hazare on Saturday said he will sit on an indefinite fast in jail if the police do not grant him permission for his proposed protest at Delhi's Ramlila Maidan for a strong Lokpal. "I will sit on a fast in jail. Who can stop me from going on a fast in jail? Nobody can stop me in jail," he told reporters.
The active cases have reduced to 36,18,458 comprising 14.66 per cent of the total infections.
The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), an umbrella body of over 40 farmers' unions, on Friday urged agriculturists and other people of West Bengal not to vote for the Bharatiya Janata Party in the upcoming elections.
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