"Simpleton" Anna Hazare is being made a scapegoat to fulfil the political ambitions of some "very smart people" in his own team, senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh has alleged.
Team Anna on Monday rejected government's proposal of excluding lower bureaucracy from Lokpal's ambit, saying they must be covered to fight graft like alleged swindling by Group C employees of over Rs 30,000 crore worth of ration annually meant for poor.
While senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh said on Tuesday that Anna Hazare must be praised for the 'good work' he has done in his native village Ralegan Siddhi, he continued his tirade against the social activist's movement and Team Anna member Arvind Kejriwal.
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.
Social activist Anna Hazare has postponed a press conference he was to address on Monday morning, saying he needed time to collect "more information", a day after Team Anna member Kiran Bedi advised his close aide to "fully brief" the activist on allegations against Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
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.
Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray has dubbed as political rape Anna Hazare's "five-star, corporate hunger strike for trivial causes" and dismissed Team Anna members as a bunch of "worthless" persons.
Reflecting a rift within Team Anna Hazare, Justice Santosh Hegde has disapproved of the anti-Congress campaign by activist Arvind Kejriwal during the Hisar bypolls, saying it was not the right thing to do and "we jumped the gun".
A better option will be a nation-wide campaign by Team Anna to convert what has remained an elitist middle class movement into a mass movement of the people based on three slogans: "Say No To Bribe", "Bring in Jan Lokpal" and "Free the CBI From Govt Clutches", notes B Raman.
Coming down heavily on Team Anna's agitation, the Bombay high court on Friday said it can't allow "parallel canvassing" when Parliament is seized with debate on Lokpal Bill and questioned its decision to seek exemption from charges to use MMRDA grounds for Anna Hazare's proposed fast.
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.
Suspense continued on Thursday over the venue of Anna Hazare's proposed 3-day fast from December 27 with NGO Jagruk Nagrik Manch filing a writ petition in the Bombay High Court seeking direction to the state government to allot a place for the protest.
Maintaining that they are not campaigning for any party in the Hisar election, Arvind Kejriwal has said team Anna should not be held responsible if their movement in any way benefits the opposition and dismissed as "absurd" talk of Hazare nursing an ambition to become President.
Seeking to mount pressure on government, Anna Hazare on Tuesday threatened to launch another hunger strike from the last day of Parliament's Winter Session if a strong Jan Lokpal Bill is not passed by then.
Yoga guru Baba Ramdev on dismissed suggestions of a rift with the Anna Hazare-led team and said he has asked his supporters to join the day-long fast by the social activist and his aides in New Delhi on Wednesday.
After having been beaten black and blue by Team Anna, the Congress party and the government are finally waking up to take the Gandhian on even as media managers in the party have so far not come out actively against the anti-corruption crusaders.
Rediff.com's Toral Varia, who has been covering Anna Hazare's fast at Delhi's Ramlila Maidan, spoke to prominent civil society member Swami Agnivesh on the way ahead for the team Anna.
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.
As Anna Hazare's fast entered Day 11 on Friday, the split in his team widened. It's now Swami Agnivesh and Justice Hegde versus the rest! The duo feel that Hazare should have called off the fast on Thursday and that protesting out the prime minister's residence was uncalled for.
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.
As thousands gathered at Jantar Mantar to support Team Anna's fight for the Jan Lokpal Bill, Anna Hazre joined other fasting members, while Arvind Kejriwal released his book titled Swaraj. Priyanka reports.
At a time when his close aides are going hammer and tongs against President Pranab Mukherjee, Anna Hazare on Thursday congratulated him on his election to the highest constitutional office.
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.
Team Anna yet to plan campaign against Congress in five poll-bound states. Toral Varia Deshpande reports.
The team that is forming the strategy to take on Anna Hazare is so confused and incoherent that in spite of Team Anna's few missteps, the UPA government is unable to counter them. Says a senior minister and a leader with political sense, "We are worried about losing the battle for minds." Sheela Bhatt reports.
A strong Lokpal Bill should include steps to protect the lives of those fighting corruption, says Team Anna. Priyanka reports
Noting that there was no difference between Anna Hazare and the government on the need to fight corruption, Congress today welcomed Team Anna's decision not to campaign against any political party but against the issue of graft in five poll-bound states.
Team Anna member Arvind Kejriwal has said that Anna Hazare is above Parliament and he has the right to do so as a citizen.
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 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.
Senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh on Friday welcomed Anna Hazare's indication of floating a new party to fight the 2014 general elections and said the activist and his team should also contest the polls.
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.
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.
The core group of Anna Hazare's team would discuss invitations to Kashmir and Manipur during its meeting on September 10 and 11 at Anna's village Ralegan Siddhi.
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.
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
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.
In the whole sordid series of happenings after Anna Hazare broke his fast, the only side to emerge with credit is the government. In fact, it is outshining the civil society, says B S Raghavan.
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.
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