Anti-corruption activist Anna Hazare on Wednesday shot off a letter to Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, slamming the reaction of his government and the Congress to his indefinite fast on Lokpal Bill issue, and urged him to show courage to take unprecedented steps to fight the menace.
Anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare will observe fast unto death from Tuesday until the government enacts a comprehensive law such as the Jan Lokpal Bill to tackle the menace.
Ignoring an appeal from his close aides, Anna Hazare on Sunday joined three of his team members in their indefinite fast in New Delhi after his four-day ultimatum to the government to concede to his demands on Lokpal Bill found no response.
Anna Hazare said, "What I am seeing on the television makes me sad. I have been fighting for the last 40 years, Kejriwal also came along with me. Ousted Aam Aadmi Party leader Kapil Mishra's allegations against Kejriwal are really saddening."
Team Anna on Thursday blinked in the battle of attrition with the government by announcing plans to end the indefinite fast on Friday evening as it pitched for an alternative to the current political system.
Ahead of his day-long fast for a strong Lokpal Bill, Anna Hazare launched a vitriolic attack on the government, charging that it was "intoxicated" by power and said the "second fight for independence" has started which will go on till corruption is eradicated.
Any people's movement without a well-defined ideology and organised structure will always lead to chaos and anarchy, says Dr Abhijit Vaidya, founder of Arogya Sena
Apart from the appointment of Lokpal at the national level and Lokayukta in states, Hazare has been demanding implementation of the Swaminathan Commission recommendations and some electoral reforms.
With Lok Sabha taking up the Lokpal bill on Wednesday, there are expectations that Anna Hazare, whose fast entered the ninth day, will call it off after it is passed in the Lower House.
The retired SC judge has refused to head the inquiry commission to probe corruption charges against four Maharashtra ministers.
Seeking to put Team Anna members on the back-foot, the activist's former blogger Raju Parulekar has accused the "gang of four" in Anna Hazare's core team of using the activist as a "demi-god" to further their interests and hold the government to "ransom".
In a statement that took his former teammates by surprise, Anna Hazare on Thursday said there was no need to form a party or contest elections but instead work for an "alternative".
Asking the government to give up its "vindictive" attitude, the Gandhian said it "must try to create trust and bridge the gap in the hearts after the nation-wide agitation for Jan Lokpal Bill instead of sending out a wrong messege."
Anna Hazare's indefinite fast entered the third day on Tuesday with the activist regretting the attack on media by his supporters and warned that he will call off his fast if they again indulge in violence.
Anna Hazare on Tuesday faced a low turnout as he launched his three-day fast against a "weak" Lokpal Bill asking people to be ready for an 'aar paar ki ladai' (fight to finish) to stamp out corruption and ensure that "goondas" do not enter Parliament.
Social activist Anna Hazare speaks to CNN-IBN Editor-in-Chief Rajdeep Sardesai in his home town Ralegaon Siddhi. Hazare says he will re-start the movement if the standing committee doesn't agree to demands on the Jan-Lokpal bill.
Anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare, who left Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee red-faced two days back, said that he had skipped the poorly attended rally because he was misled.
A Mumbai court has accepted the closure report submitted by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) in the Maharashtra State Cooperative Bank (MSCB) scam case, giving a clean chit to Ajit Pawar and other accused.
Hazare has been on a hunger strike since Wednesday in Ralegan Siddhi village in the Maharashtra's Ahmednagar district demanding appointment of anti-corruption watchdogs at the Centre and in Maharashtra and resolution of farmers' issue.
Shriya Saran talks about her film on corruption, Gali Gali Chor Hain, co-starring Akshaye Khanna.
Threatening to launch a "big protest" for a strong Lokpal bill, social activist Anna Hazare on Friday said that the government will have to go if it does not bring a strong anti-corruption law.
The 74-year-old activist on Monday said he wants to start on a tour of different states after ending his fast and hopes to "gather energy" from his supporters to get the Jan Lokpal bill passed and then to fight for electoral reforms, including 'Right to Reject' and 'Right to Recall'.
The campaign should have started as a demand for total revolution to usher in good governance of which probity in public life as a quintessential element, says Mahesh Vijapurkar.
Hazare said he was giving the government six months time till August to come good on its assurance and warned that his protest will again begin in September if the demands were not met.
Launched in 2024, the TVK has Vijay's shift into politics was not sudden as he had been doing groundwork since 2009, when he launched his fan club, the Vijay Makkal Iyakkam.
His former blogger, Raju Parulekar on Tuesday said youth from various parts of the country will hold a three-day protest at Jantar Mantar from December 10 against Hazare and his supporters.
Anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare's trip to the United States and participation in the India Independence Day Parade, was "to meet NRIs and connect with like-minded people in the United States and get their support -- wake them up -- for the next anti-corruption agitation in India."
Social activist Anna Hazare on Saturday said he has decided to suspend his agitation scheduled on October 2 in New Delhi as the Central government allowed the Land Ordinance to lapse and implemented the One Rank One Pension OROP) for ex-servicemen.
Upset over not getting an appointment with Rahul Gandhi, the sarpanch of Anna Hazare's village and his colleagues on Tuesday decided to return home saying that now even if they got an appointment the village will decide whether to meet the Congress leader or not.
With the Aam Admi Party leading in a number of constituencies in Delhi, Anna Hazare on Sunday said Arvind Kejriwal could become the chief minister one day and warned the Congress that people will teach a lesson to it in the Lok Sabha elections.
A Delhi court on Saturday directed the Delhi Police to file a detailed action taken report on a plea for lodging FIR against Anna Hazare and his former team members for allegedly cheating over four crore people by selling them 'Anna SMS cards', whose service was discontinued before the promised one year time, which earned them Rs 100 crore.
'Hazare has only himself to blame for getting isolated. He was blind to the fact that Kejriwal and Bedi were capitalising on his success.'
Actor Vijay's journey from a shy film star to a political leader is explored, highlighting his unconventional methods and the key moments that shaped his transformation.
Team Anna on Friday made it clear that a mere discussion in Parliament will not serve any purpose and the Gandhian will not call off his fast till Parliament passes a resolution that the cleared Lokpal Bill will include the three contentious points raised by them.
He said though there was a "ray of hope", certain issues he had flagged remained unresolved.
Anti-corruption campaigner Anna Hazare on Wednesday attacked the Narendra Modi government for its 'failure' to bring back black money stashed in tax havens abroad and said people will teach it a lesson for the "fraud" perpetrated on them.
Hazare began his fast on January 30 at his native Ralegan Siddhi village in Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra, demanding appointment of anti-corruption watchdogs at the Centre and in Maharashtra and resolution of farmers' issues.
Activist Anna Hazare on Monday accused the Centre of not keeping its promise about passing the Jan Lokpal Bill and said he will sit on an indefinite hunger strike in his hometown Ralegan Sidhi from Tuesday for the passage of the anti-graft law in Parliament.
After claiming that Anna Hazare's key aides were 'fascists and undemocratic,' his former blogger Raju Parulekar on Wednesday alleged that Arvind Kejriwal and others were using the activist to further their political ambitions.
'Vijay entered politics at a much better age compared to Rajnikanth and Kamal Haasan. His fans are young and he has at least 2-3 decades ahead of him.'
