There are alternatives that are preferable to the octopus like Jan Lokpal being proposed. Extremism, whether the Gandhian excess of non-violence or obsession with environment at cost of everything else is dangerous in the long run, says Colonel Anil Athale (retd).
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh on Sunday slammed Gandhian Anna Hazare for failing to acknowledge that its workers had played an "active role" in his nationwide crusade against corruption last year, though the Sangh itself was not part of the civil society agitation.
After raising questions about the way in which funds for activist Anna Hazare's agitation was managed, Swami Agnivesh on Monday claimed that the Gandhian was upset about the management of the accounts.
Social activist and member of Team Anna, Arvind Kejriwal, on Wednesday said that the attacks on Gandhian Anna and members of his team were aimed at diverting their attention from the core issue of Jan Lokpal Bill.
Describing Anna Hazare's campaign as 'brahminvaad', activist Swami Agnivesh today hit out at the Gandhian saying there was "no democracy" in his agitation and dissenting voices were thrown out of the team.
In another gesture of support to Team Anna, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh on Friday said it will stand behind any individual or organisation taking up the fight against corruption.
Declaring government's commitment to a strong Lokpal, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday said Anna Hazare's demand for 'right to reject' provision in electoral law needs political consensus.
Union Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal on Friday said Gandhian leader Anna Hazare was seeking to create a 'parallel government' through a Jan Lokpal bill without accountability, flouting the basic structure of the Constitution.
Right to Information activist Arvind Kejriwal has been in the forefront of the massively publicised movement to demand a Lokpal Bill. A close associate of Gandhian Anna Hazare, Kejriwal has staunchly defended the movement and rebuffed many allegations made against civil society activists by the ruling Congress party. He has also taken on senior Congress leaders like Digvijaya Singh and Pranab Mukherjee who had taken pot shots at Hazare's movement.
Anna Hazare is suffering from severe chest congestion and doctors have advised him to get hospitalised in Pune on Sunday for further treatment. Dr Sancheti of the Sancheti hospital in Pune said he had made the suggestion for shifting the 74-year-old Gandhian from his native village in Maharashtra to Pune after medically examining him. "There is enough congestion in his chest and he has a strong cough. He can't remain in a single position for a minute," he said.
"The core committee meeting has been postponed due to Annaji's ill health. The date of next meeting will be announced after 4-5 days," Hazare's aide Suresh Pathare said.
Sonia Gandhi has expressed her agreement with the concerns of Anna Hazare on the land bill and vowed to oppose it.
The turnout at Mumbai's MMRDA ground may have fallen short of Team Anna's expectations, but there was no dearth of enthusiasm or anti-establishment rhetoric at the venue, finds Sanchari Bhattcharya
Activist Swami Agnivesh, who fell out with Anna Hazare's team during the agitation over Lokpal Bill, on Tuesday sought forgiveness from the Gandhian and the others "who felt hurt" through his "unintentional acts".
Anna Hazare fever gripped India and Lokpal became the buzzword. But after the 12-day rollercoaster, will the government keep its promises? Once implemented, will the Lokpal become just another anti-corruption law, asks Ganesh Nadar
Anna Hazare's fast entered into the 12th day on Saturday as Parliament is all set to discuss the Lokpal issue which could lead to the Gandhian calling off his hunger strike.
Supporters of Anna Hazare on Friday blocked the Pune-Ahmednagar Highway near Ralegan Siddhi, the Gandhian's native village in Western Maharashtra.
Lok Satta party president Dr Jayaprakash Narayan may have his differences with Anna Hazare over the Lokpal Bill, but he salutes the Gandhian's efforts to bring the youth and the middle class to the forefront of the anti-corruption movement. Sheela Bhatt reports
Activist Medha Patkar, who is part of Anna Hazare's core group, said in spite of talking about the broad issue, the Congress general secretary should have deliberated on the immediate issues raised by the Gandhian, whose fast for a strong Lokpal continued for the 11th day.
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.
As Anna Hazare's campaign for a strong Lokpal Bill gathers pace in rural India, people in a non-descript village in Sehore district of Madhya Pradesh have gone a step further in extending their support to him by establishing a make-shift temple, idolising the Gandhian.
Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee late on Wednesday night rebutted the charges by Team Anna that he had told them the Gandhian's health was not government's concern, saying the remarks were "distorted."
Talks between government and Team Anna Hazare ended in a deadlock on Wednesday tonight with the two sides failing to resolve the key issues, prompting the civil society to declare that they were "back to square one".
Bharatiya Janata Party Member of Parliament Varun Gandhi, who has given a notice in Lok Sabha for tabling Anna Hazare's Jan Lokpal Bill as a private members' bill, on Wednesday sat with protesters at Ramlila Maidan where the Gandhian is on a fast. Wearing a green kurta and sporting a tricolour badge, the 31-year-old Philibit MP came to the ground around 8:30 am and sat in the protesters' enclosure. "I have come here as a common man," Gandhi said.
In yet another indication of the growing discomfort in sections of Congress with the handling of the Anna Hazare crisis, a senior party leader on Monday said that the government underestimated the Gandhian's movement against corruption and asked it to enter into dialogue with him.
As Anna Hazare's fast entered its seventh day on Monday, his aides alleged that efforts are being made to disrupt the movement as "certain people" are scared about the massive support enjoyed by the Gandhian.
Arguing that Anna Hazare should not deride democratic institutions, National Advisory Council member Aruna Roy on Saturday said the Gandhian was "ill-advised" as there was still scope for the civil society group to change the government's version of Lokpal Bill.
A day after he gave the sobriquet "new Gandhian" to Anna Hazare, Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar on Friday declined to stretch the issue further.
Dr Nandini Sundar, who filed a Public Interest Litigation in the Supreme Court asking for the disbanding of armed Salwa Judum, on Friday said that there has been a 22 per cent increase of Maoist activities since Salwa Judum was launched.
Calling themselves brothers of Anna Hazare, a group of men and women from the Gandhian's home state Maharashtra on Friday came together at Rajghat to extend support to his agitation.
The very name of social activist Anna Hazare appears to energise both young and old who once again took to streets in different cities of Uttar Pradesh.
Extending support to Anna Hazare's anti-graft crusade, Bharatiya Janata Party president Nitin Gadkari on Thursday claimed that it was his party that brought corruption and black money issues to the forefront and it will firmly stand with the Gandhian in his agitation.
Strongly defending Anna Hazare's detention, the government on Tuesday said the Gandhian activist was taken into custody after the Delhi police came to the conclusion that he and his supporters would commit a "cognisable offence" by defying prohibitory orders. Home Minister P Chidambaram said that after being taken into custody, the 73-year-old was taken to the Police Officers Mess in Civil Lines and he will be produced before a magistrate.
Yoga guru Ramdev, who along with his supporters faced police crackdown during their agitation at Ramlila Maidan, on Monday, wrote to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh asking him to exercise "self restraint" and ensure that similar action was not taken against Anna Hazare and his team.
Activist Anna Hazare and the government seem to be headed for a confrontation with the Gandhian on Saturday deciding to go ahead with his indefinite fast from August 16 for a "strong" Lokpal.
Reacting to Mayawati's objection over the absence of any Dalit on the Jan Lokpal Bill draft committee, Agnivesh said, "I do welcome her objection and thank her for raising the issue. But I would also like to ask the UP chief minister to declare whether she had taken any effective steps to curb the rampant corruption in her government.
Gandhian and social activist Anna Hazare, who suffers from osteoarthritis, has been admitted to a city hospital for treatment and rest, hospital authorities said on Wednesday.
Anna Hazare's former blogger Raju Parulekar on Friday night fired yet another salvo at prominent Team Anna members accusing them of using the Gandhian as a demi-god and as their brand to further their interests.
Varun Gandhi adds that communists always joke with him and say he is a "communist in the BJP".
Authorities have decided to beef up the security arrangement of activist Anna Hazare in his village Ralegan Siddhi in Ahmednagar district, Maharashtra.Ahmednagar Superintendent of Police Krishna Prasad told rediff.com that there was no present threat to Hazare right now, but as part of the regular review of his security, the local administration has decided to increase the number of personnel guarding the Gandhian.
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