After having shaken up the United Progressive Alliance government through his fast at the Ramlila Grounds, Anna Hazare has now decided to focus on the Congress party as his enemy number 1.
Law Minister Salman Khurshid said Anna Hazare's move to disband his team which was agitating on Lokpal was "part of growing up and moving ahead" while Congress steered clear of the issue, terming it as their internal matter which was "not relevant" to the party.
Law Minister Salman Khurshid, who has so far maintained silence on his meeting with Anna Hazare over a month ago, on Friday lamented that nothing could come out of the talks.
The decision to launch a political party would be taken on October 2 only if there was agreement on it by the majority of Team Anna members, including activist Anna Hazare said Manish Sisodia, a key member of India Against Corruption. "Discussions are going on with IAC members. At the marathon meeting today, the majority was in favour of forming a political party," Sisodia told reporters.
Anna Hazare, who called off his two-day fast in Mumbai for a strong Lokpal Bill due to failing health and poor public response, on Thursday left for his native Ralegan Siddhi village
Team Anna member Arvind Kejriwal has alleged that the government was spending crores of rupees and planting stories in the media to separate Anna Hazare from him, Kiran Bedi and Prashant Bhushan. Accusing the government of trying to defame Team Anna with charges that would not stick, he said during a programme on TV channel Aaj Tak that "there's a conspiracy to separate Anna Hazare". "The government is spending crores of rupees for this. Stories are being planted," he said.
Confusion prevailed over Anna Hazare's protest plans on Monday with a prominent Municipal Corporation of Delhi functionary saying that the civic body has not given permission for the agitation at Ramlila Maidan even as Team Anna insisted that they have got the nod.
Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Monday announced a slew of stricter laws to fight corruption and amendments in the existing Lokayukta Act. Gogoi said, "The new anti-corruption legislations and the amendments to State Lokayukta Act will be tabled in the state assembly in the next budget session." "We were committed to tackling corruption even before Anna Hazare started his campaign. With that in mind, we will make amendments in the present Lokayukta Act," he said.
A day after India Against Corruption started a survey on forming a political party, some prominent members and volunteers of erstwhile Team Anna on Sunday urged Anna Hazare to delink himself from Arvind Kejriwal and revive the 'apolitical' anti-graft movement.
The team members reached Ralegan Siddhi on Sunday morning and are expected to brief Hazare about the discussions held at the meeting held at Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh on Saturday.
The Shri Ram Sene, which had been in the news following the infamous attacks on pub-going women in Mangalore in 2009, is once again in the spotlight.
Anna Hazare is likely to end his vow of silence on Friday and head to Delhi where he may attend the meeting of the Standing Committee on the issue of Lokpal Bill.
Ahead of Anna Hazare's one-day fast in Delhi, which has now been rescheduled to March 25, to press for protection to whistleblowers, Team Anna on Wednesday accused the ruling Congress of "sabotaging" the Jan Lokpal Bill.
Taking exception to former Team Anna member, Arvind Kejriwal launching a political party, Justice N Santosh Hegde said it has affected credibility of the movement against corruption in the country.
Amid continuing deadlock between government and Team Anna Hazare on Lokpal, the Gandhian on Thursday wrote to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the issue.
As the government prepares to bring the Lokpal Bill to the Cabinet, social activist Anna Hazare on Wednesday pitched for a strong version of the law to be presented for the consideration of Parliament.
A strong Lokpal Bill should include steps to protect the lives of those fighting corruption, says Team Anna. Priyanka reports
Fresh controversy dogged Team Anna on Saturday as Anna Hazare's former blogger made public a blog, which was kept under wraps to blunt the Gandhian's claim that he had not spoken to him about re-organising his core team.
Kiran Bedi, who recently joined the Bharatiya Janata Party, said she had tried several times to talk to Anna Hazare over the phone but was not able to do so as the anti- corruption crusader was either "sleeping or taking rest".
Notwithstanding the split over their movement turning political, Anna Hazare has decided not to accept Arvind Kejriwal's offer to return money collected during the erstwhile Team Anna's anti-corruption agitations.
Anna Hazare is likely to be present in the viewers' gallery of the Parliament when the Lokpal Bill would be tabled and discussed, sources close to him said in Mumbai on Friday.
Swami Agnivesh, who had a bitter fallout with anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare, has said he wants to apologise to the Gandhian if he has made any mistake.
Denying reports that Anna Hazare had close connections with the late Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangha leader Nanaji Deshmukh, key Team Anna member Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday said it was part of Congress' "tactics" to divert attention from the Lokpal Bill.
Top Team Anna members have rejected criticism that Anna Hazare was forced to adopt the path of political alternative and claimed that he was fully involved in the decision to go political.
Social activist Anna Hazare will receive an award of Rs 25 lakh from a Delhi-based organisation for his contribution to rural development.
Anna Hazare on Monday expressed the hope that cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, who entered Parliament as a Rajya Sabha member, will raise his voice on the Lokpal issue and against corruption. "We welcome and congratulate him. Sachin should raise his voice against corruption and also in favour of the Lokpal issue. We will keep supporting him from outside," he said.
Anna Hazare's fast to demand a strong Lokpal Bill entered the seventh day in New Delhi on Monday with his team asserting that they have no intention to topple the government.
Delhi Police on Friday denied permission to veteran social activist Anna Hazare to hold an indefinite hunger strike at the Jantar Mantar in Delhi on August 16.
Congress on Tuesday expressed hurt over Anna Hazare's statement that a "gang of four" in the government of was targeting his team, saying the party and the government had nothing to do with the allegations against Team Anna members.
Stepping up pressure ahead of the indefinite fast from Wednesday, Anna Hazare on Tuesday issued a new threat of a 'jail bharo' agitation if the government does not concede to their demands in three-four days.
Social activist Anna Hazare on Thursday said he would continue his 'maun vrat (vow of silence)' on health ground. "My health still does not permit me to give up my 'maun vrat'. There is still some swelling on my feet and the knee troubles me a lot. 'Maun vrat' helps me heal my body from within and outside," Hazare wrote on his blog.
Ahead of their proposed protests in New Delhi, Anna Hazare and yoga guru Ramdev on Tuesday launched an attack on the UPA government accusing it of not showing enough resolve in tackling corruption and bringing back black money stashed away abroad.
Asking Team Anna to clarify its stand on reservation issue, Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on Wednesday said he suspected "political ambitions" behind Anna Hazare's decision to expand his committee to include Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Muslims.
Team Anna member Kiran Bedi on Thursday night said Anna Hazare will postpone his protests if Parliament session is extended to introduce and get the Lokpal Bill passed.
Raising their pitch on the Lokpal Bill issue, the Anna Hazare team on Thursday alleged that the government version of the ombudsman was not aimed at fighting corruption but for targeting those who complain against the menace.
Following a Manipuri delegation's appeal Anna Hazare may involve himself in finding a solution to the state's problems, reports A Ganesh Nadar from Pune
Launching a vitriolic attack on Team Anna, Union Minister V Narayanasamy on Saturday charged that Anna Hazare was surrounded by "anti-national elements" and those supported by "foreign forces". "Anna is a simple man, but he is surrounded by anti-national elements and people who have been supported by foreign forces," the minister of state in PMO told the media at Chennai airport.
The Anna Hazare movement, which has not only gripped the nation, has also caught the fancy of the average foreign tourist.
Congress General Secretary Digvijay Singh on Thursday said that anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare's decision to go on hunger strike from August 16 must be preceded by an "agitation".
Asserting the supremacy of Parliament and the Constitution and declaring them to be non-negotiable, the government on Wednesday got the backing of all political parties to reject the demands of Anna Hazare and his companions on the Jan Lokpal Bill and the demand that it should be presented in the House and passed in the current session of Parliament.
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