India Against Corruption volunteers demonstrate in front of the UN headquarters in New York in support of Anna Hazare's fast.
Stepping up pressure, Anna Hazare on Thursday announced a new agitation of filling up jails (jail bharo) from January 1 if Parliament does not pass a strong Lokpal law, amid indications that it is unlikely to be done before the scheduled conclusion of the current winter session.
Anna Hazare came in for scathing attack from Congress leaders who dubbed him a RSS spokesperson for his charge against Rahul Gandhi over the Lokpal issue.
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.
Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh on Saturday said Anna Hazare is "under the influence of people who have their separate political agenda" and asked Team Anna to wait for the decision of Parliament before attacking party leader Rahul Gandhi on the Lokpal Bill.
Ahead of the assembly polls, Team Anna will begin its campaign in Uttar Pradesh from Thursday on the Lokpal Bill, pressing various political parties to make clear their stand on the issue.
With the opposition parties closing ranks to raise the heat on price rise and other issues, the Congress on Friday appealed to them to allow smooth functioning of Parliament to pass key bills including Lokpal.
Off late there has been a lot of talk regarding the necessity to have a judicial accountability bill. Even when the Lokpal Bill was being debated, the inclusion of judges into Lokpal's ambit was strongly opposed by the government despite members of the civil society urging the government to make such an inclusion.
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Saturday said it found considerable merit in three contentious issues raised by Team Anna, including covering the entire bureaucracy and Citizens'Charter for public grievances under Lokpal and favoured Lokayuktas in the states.
Mamata Banerjee's opposition to the Congress's Lokpal Bill was not a stand-alone event. Her unrelenting stand on FDI and other reform measures of the government are signs of a failing relationship, says Neerja Chowdhury.
Team Anna member Kiran Bedi on Friday appeared to raise questions over Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari's conduct during the debate on Lokpal Bill in the Upper House. "In everyone's life there come moments where one can rise above. This was one such moment last night for the chairman of Rajya Sabha to create history. Alas!" Bedi tweeted.
In an open letter to Team Anna, Colonel Anil Athale questions their obsession with the Lokpal Bill. Athale suggests the merger of existing anti-corruption wings of all departments and public enterprises with Lokpal instead of creating another huge army of clerks.
Sharp differences broke out among Team Anna, the government and the Opposition on Friday over the wording of the resolution for the debate in both Houses of Parliament on various drafts of the Lokpal Bill
The debate over the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Bill, 2011, has caused an internal rift in the party, and Kalyan Banerjee is upset that some of his party leaders are questioning his stand over it.
The Trinamool Congress, which has six members in the Rajya Sabha, said it will "strongly" oppose the provision and want the deletion of Part III of The Lokpal and Lokayuktas Bill, 2011, which deals with setting up of Lokayuktas at the state level. "We have already submitted our amendments. We are going to press for it," Mukul Roy, Trinamool leader and minister of state for shipping, told reporters in New Delhi.
Activist Anna Hazare on Sunday night said the civil society representatives will decide on Monday whether he should first undertake a nationwide tour against corruption before undertaking fast if a strong Lokpal bill is not ready.
Rediff.com's Shubir Rishi visits the MMRDA ground in Mumbai - Anna Hazare's fast venue - late on Tuesday night to get a feel of the mood among the protestors. He shares his experience.
The war between Team Anna and the government over the Jan Lokpal Bill is getting uglier by the day, so much so that the real purpose of the movement -- that of introducing an effective Lokpal Bill -- has been sidelined, reports Sahim Salim.
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.
Thousands of Delhiites today rallied behind Anna Hazare's campaign against corruption by thronging India Gate, from where they marched to Ramlila Maidan, where the Gandhian is on a fast demanding a strong Lokpal.
Union Law Minister Salman Khurshid on Friday said all demands of Anna Hazare on Lokpal Bill "cannot be accepted" and the activist has to decide the "limits" of his exercise.
Anticipating that the Lokpal Bill will be tabled in Parliament, Anna Hazare has cancelled his visit to Hyderabad and will return to Delhi to be in the House.
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.
In an apparent dig at Anna Hazare's campaign for Jan Lokpal Bill, National Advisory Council member Aruna Roy on Monday said one has the right to dissent in a democracy but not to overrule the functioning of Parliament and its multifarious structures.
Both Houses of Parliament were adjourned sine die on Wednesday, bringing the Winter Session to a close two days ahead of schedule
Team Anna on Monday invited leaders of all parties to Jantar Mantar on December 11, when Anna Hazare plans to sit on a day-long fast, to put their views on Lokpal Bill, a deviation from its stand on previous occasions when it did not allow politicians to share its platform.
Decrying the failure of Rajya Sabha to pass the Lokpal bill, Anna Hazare on Thursday made a curious suggestion to bring a law to empower gram sabhas that will be above Parliament.
On the eve of the winter session of Parliament, rediff.com's Sheela Bhatt narrates how the Congress party views the issues of corruption, Team Anna and Lokpal bill.
'I am sick of hearing the prime minister parrot the 'compulsions of coalition government' line, says Vipin Vijayan. 'I for once hope he says, "This is what I will do. You have a problem, go hang!"'
Team Anna today unveiled its campaign plans for the Assembly polls in five states starting with Uttarakhand on January 21 and spending a major part of February in Uttar Pradesh but will not ask people to vote in favour or against any particular party.
After the so called flop show in Mumbai, if one thought that the Anna movement was on the wane, one needs to be careful. In fact Anna Hazare remains top recall in people's mind and irrespective of what happened in Mumbai, they still believe the Gandhian is right and his Lokpal will successfully combat corruption.
Anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare was discharged from hospital today and said he would apply his mind to the next phase of the anti-corruption movement started by him on the Lokpal Bill issue after fully recovering from his health problems.
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.
BJP leader Arun Jaitley said, "the BJP core group would be meeting later today to decide what it will do on the road (on the Lokpal issue). We will expose the government on the road and make the public aware in the wake of Thursday's developments. We will take up this Bill in the next session and expose the government there also."
The Congress Party deserves no pity because it got caught in its own web of deceit. They created a product they did not want and ensured nobody bought it. Sheela Bhatt reports.
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.
At least 25 MPs of the Congress and its allies in the United Progressive Alliance were absent during voting on the Constitution Amendment Bill on Lokpal in the Lok Sabha which was defeated for lack of numbers.
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.
On the eve of Anna Hazare's fast against the "weak" Lokpal Bill, the government on Monday asked him to wait for the outcome of Parliament's debate on the legislation on Tuesday before launching his agitation.
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