Team Anna member Kiran Bedi on Thursday feared that the Lokpal Bill may go the Women's Reservation Bill's way as those in power are comfortable with status quo.
With the issue of bringing the prime minister within the ambit of the Lokpal remaining a ticklish affair, the government is expected to soon call an all-party meeting to seek views across the political spectrum.
Close on the heels of activist Anna Hazare threatening another round of agitation about the Lokpal Bill, the government, Team Anna and opposition parties Bharatiya Janata Party and Communist Party of India Marxist on Saturday said they were ready for an open dialogue on a strong anti-corruption bill. "The doors are open and we have never shut it. Rather, it was Team Anna which had slammed the door on us," Union Law Minister Salman Khurshid said.
"What was even more shocking that even someone like Anna Hazare, who was spearheading the movement against rising corruption in the country, did not care to ensure inclusion of a Dalit on the committee. After all he hails from Maharastra which gave birth to the greatest Dalit icon Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar, who led several movements for the upliftment of the downtrodden dalits," Mayawati said.
Amidst rumblings of a crisis within AAP, a letter by its internal Lokpal has pointed to the growth of two camps within the top leadership of the party due to an "abject breakdown in communication and mutual trust" and said it needs to make efforts to address criticisms over inner-party democracy.
It is time for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to take the debate on the Jan Lokpal Bill to the people through the media as well as through direct interactions with the people during tours across the country, observes B Raman
Terming the joining of hands of civil society and government on the Lokpal Bill issue as a step that augurs well for democracy, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday said the government intended to introduce the "historic legislation" in the Monsoon Session of Parliament.
Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal is all set to quit as chief minister of Delhi after his plans to introduce the Jan Lokpal Bill in the Delhi legislature failed.
"Nothing to worry, I will not die till the Lokpal Bill is passed," social activist Anna Hazare on Thursday said as worries over his health mounted on the 10th day of his fast.
The Delhi high court on Wednesday sought a response from the Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government on plea seeking to restrain it from holding session outside the assembly to fulfill the poll promise of clearing the Jan Lokpal Bill.
After the all party meeting on Wednesday, the Union cabinet is likely to meet either on Sunday or Monday morning to clear the bill after which it will be placed before the house, possibly by December 20, reports Renu Mittal.
The much-debated Lokpal Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday amid objections from the Bharatiya Janata Party and its allies of the National Democratic Alliance over the exclusion of the prime minister from the purview of the proposed legislation.
After Parineeti Chopra and Aam Aadmi Party leader Raghav Chadha were spotted together on several occasions, rumours linking them have been doing the rounds.
A core member of Team Anna and expert of food security, Devinder Sharma, told rediff.com that there is a debate going on within Team Anna whether the Gandhian should hold his proposed fast to press for a stringent Lokpal Bill from December 27 in Mumbai.
Hazare also said it seems the new policy will encourage liquor sale and consumption and spur corruption.
Anna Hazare on Sunday warned the government of breaking his vow of not undertaking fasts if it fails to pass a strong Lokpal Bill before 2014 elections and alleged that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had "cheated" him on the issue.
Aam Aadmi Party on Wednesday came out with its manifesto for the December 4 Delhi polls, promising to enact Jan Lokpal Bill in 15 days if voted to power.
Anna Hazare on Wednesday found fault with the government for bringing a separate Citizens' Charter bill saying it was against the assurance given by Parliament to him and urged Trinamool Congress Chief Mamata Banerjee to pressurise the United Progressive Alliance on Lokpal issue as she did on FDI in retail.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Thursday night his government plans to introduce Jan Lokpal bill in the assembly on Friday and renewed his threat of resigning if the proposed legislation was defeated by Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party.
President Pratibha Patil, who is on a ten-day vacation in Hyderabad, is expected to meet Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and Bharatiya Janata Party leaders when she returns to New Delhi.
Social activist and close aide of Anna Hazare, Prashant Bhushan, said that the move would help their cause and will let people know the truth.
Team Anna proved to be a big hit in Lucknow where thousands converged on the banks of the Gomati river to cheer social activist Arvind Kejriwal and others who swore to not just unseat corrupt politicians but to bring grassroots changes in the system of governance.
Accusing the government of reducing the meetings of the joint committee to a mere "show of formality", Gandhian Anna Hazare expressed surprise that the government told them that finally two Bills will be sent to the Cabinet -- one drafted by the civil society and one by the government representatives.
As Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal remains adamant on his stand of resigning if the Jan Lokpal Bill is not passed in the ongoing Assembly session, Lt Governor Najeeb Jung on Friday said that the ombudsman bill cannot be tabled as it has not been approved by him.
The Bharatiya Janata Party has decided to press for the inclusion of the prime minister, lower bureaucracy and Citizens' Charter under the Lokpal at the all-party meeting on Wednesday and will move amendment in the Bill after consultations with other parties in case the government does not accept its proposals
The bill was passed without discussion as the Opposition had staged a walkout over the alleged scam in the Teachers' Eligibility Test.
The winter session that begins on Thursday is likely to be a stormy with the Opposition stacking up a lot of ammunition to attack the government and it could be visible from day one.
In a far-reaching verdict, the Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that the appointment of the Chief Election Commissioner and the election commissioners will be done by the President on the recommendation of a committee, comprising the Prime Minister, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and the CJI, to maintain the "purity" of the electoral process.
Gandhi said the budgetary cuts were weakening the legal guarantee of timely payment and employment. She noted that the Supreme Court had likened the delay in MGNREGA payments with forced labour.
'A system that is judge, jury, and executioner, with draconian and apparently ill-defined powers and a haphazard system of oversight is not necessarily a better denouement, even if the current situation is untenable,' says Ram Kelkar.
He said though there was a "ray of hope", certain issues he had flagged remained unresolved.
Where Laal Singh Chaddha succeeds most is heart, notes Sukanya Verma.
Hazare, 81, had started his indefinite fast on January 30 over appointment of anti-corruption watchdogs.
"Feel nostalgic when I see this picture. We had burnt government's 'jokepal' at that time," Kejriwal tweeted, attaching a picture of him holding a burning copy of the draft Lokpal back in 2011.
The time has come for the government of the day to stop behaving like a supplicant before self-appointed representatives of civil society
Swaraj Abhiyan leader Prashant Bhushan on Friday claimed the Delhi government's new Janlokpal Bill is different from what was drafted during the Anna Hazare-led anti-corruption movement, as the appointment and removal of an independent ombudsman will now be done by the state government.
With its landslide victory in Punjab assembly polls, the Aam Aadmi Party has achieved a major milestone in its journey so far and emerged as an alternative in the national politics.
Watch all the action in the Lok Sabha, LIVE!
Following is the text of the Gazette Notification issued by the government constituting the Joint Drafting Committee comprising ministers and civil society activists to prepare the draft Lok Pal Bill.
A relatively quiet foray by actor Vijay into politics through the TN rural local body elections last month has captured the attention of many, reports Shine Jacob.
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