Even as the media continued to dig the dirt on members of Team Anna (with a little help from politicians and political parties) Congress chief Sonia Gandhi in her reply to Anna Hazare has assured him that she does not 'support or encourage the politics of smear campaigns.'
Union minister and a key member of the Lokpal bill drafting committee Kapil Sibal on Thursday said that Team Hazare's version of the legislation was unacceptable, as some of its provisions were against the basic tenets of the Constitution.
Accusing the government of cheating people on the Lokpal issue, Team Anna member Kiran Bedi on Sunday claimed that it was not willing to part with control over the Central Bureau of Investigation, as it did not want the "hidden files in the agency's almirahs" to become public.
'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.
Team Anna has been granted permission by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority to use its ground in Bandra-Kurla complex from December 27.
Aiming at devising a strategy for passage of the Jan Lokpal Bill in Parliament, the two-day meeting of the core committee of Team Anna began in Ralegan Siddhi on Saturday.
'A defeat in the Hisar by-election would not make any difference to the numbers in the Lok Sabha for the simple reason that the Congress had not won that seat in 2009 anyhow. But alienating the Trinamool Congress (19 Lok Sabha MPs), the DMK (18 Lok Sabha MPs), and the Nationalist Congress Party (nine Lok Sabha MPs in addition to all the MLAs in Maharashtra) is another story. Those 46 MPs are crucial to the survival of the Manmohan Singh ministry.'
Anna expressed apprehension that the Centre may pose obstructions as the legislation provides for probing corruption in Delhi, where the central government offices are located.
Law Minister Salman Khurshid also made it clear that there was no question about anyone from the government ever saying that they don't care what happens to Hazare's health. "The main concern for me and the prime minister is Anna's health. We are very concerned about it," he told reporters outside Parliament.
Four metro stations near the prime minister's official residence here were closed on Thursday as a precautionary measure following a call by Team Anna Hazare to people to hold a protest there.
We had asked our readers to suggest ways to resolve the stand-off between the United Progressive Alliance government and Team Anna Hazare on the proposed Lokpal Bill draft. The responses.
Creation of a Telangana state will not only encourage demand for new states but also new districts and this will only weaken the country, social activist and anti-graft crusader Anna Hazare said in Azamgarh on Thursday.
Justice Santosh Hegde has become a very popular face at the protests against corruption at Freedom Park in Bengaluru.
Justice Santosh Hegde has become a very popular face at the protests against corruption at Freedom Park in Bengaluru.
Anna Hazare, fasting for the last five days for passage of Lokpal Bill, on Saturday said he was happy with the amended legislation presented in the Rajya Sabha and would call off his hunger strike the moment the law is enacted.
The keenly watched by-election in Hisar has turned into a war of words between Team Anna and the Congress. Though the anti-corruption crusader is not present in Hisar, his posters and 'Main-Anna-Hoon' caps are as visible as the campaign posters of the three main candidates in the election, reports Sahim Salim.
Reflecting a thaw in their relations with Anna Hazare, a team of Aam Aadmi Party on Thursday called on the Gandhian whose indefinite fast entered its third day and vowed to continue lending support to his fight for an effective Jan Lokpal.
In an interview with CNN-IBN, the Trinamool Congress chief explains why she decided to team up with activist Anna Hazare and alleges that the Left Front, the BJP and the Congress have an 'understanding' in Bengal.
The social activist said that his team will begin a new movement beginning around New Year.
Jagjit Singh Dallewal, a 70-year-old Punjab farmer leader, is on his 21st day of a hunger strike demanding the Indian government address farmers' concerns, including a legal guarantee of MSP on crops. His health has deteriorated, and doctors have recommended immediate hospitalization. However, Dallewal, a cancer patient, has refused medical treatment.
Law Minister Salman Khurshid, a key negotiator with Team Anna, on Sunday said there may have been "errors of judgment" in handling Hazare's fast but there were no mistakes.
Why did Yogendra Yadav, the well-respected psephologist and astute political thinker, join Arvind Kejriwal's political movement? In this exclusive interview with NDTV Editor Sreenivasan Jain, Dr Yadav spells out his reasons. Reproduced with kind courtesy NDTV Profit.
'I was not really aware that this movement was slyly being propped up by the BJP and RSS.'
Team Anna on Saturday launched a blistering attack on the Congress ahead of the October 13 Lok Sabha by-poll in Hisar, Haryana, asking voters to inflict a "historic" defeat on the party for not getting the Jan Lokpal Bill passed.
Days after joining the Bharatiya Janata Party, Kiran Bedi today said that in Prime Minister Narendra Modi the party has with it the "world's most beautiful face" as she rebutted AAP's claim that she was brought in by the saffron outfit because it does not have a face of its own in Delhi.
Activist Kiran Bedi on Wednesday sought to suggest that anti-corruption movements like that of Anna Hazare and Ramdev could team up with the Bharatiya Janata Party to form a coalition against corruption.
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.
'It is so mired in internal conflicts that no one knows who is making decisions. Pranab Mukherjee? The prime minister? Or someone else?' Arvind Kejriwal breaks his silence on Team Hazare's negotiations with the government in an exclusive interview with Sheela Bhatt.
'It is so mired in internal conflicts that no one knows who is making decisions. Pranab Mukherjee? The prime minister? Or someone else?' Arvind Kejriwal breaks his silence on Team Hazare's negotiations with the government in an exclusive interview with Sheela Bhatt.
The Parliamentary by-polls in Hisar, Haryana, have made headlines thanks to the war of words between Team Anna activists and Congress leaders. But the different communities which inhabit Hisar have other issues on their mind. The most important issue for the Jat community is reservation in government jobs under the Other Backward Classes quota. Members of the community had paralysed rail and road traffic in many parts of northern India for several days.
Raising their pitch on the Lokpal Bill issue, the Anna Hazare team on Thursday alleged that the government version of the ombudsman was not aimed at fighting corruption but for targeting those who complain against the menace.
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.
Delhi Water Minister Atishi ended her indefinite fast over the water scarcity in the national capital after she was hospitalised early Tuesday, Aam Aadmi Party Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh said.
Slamming the central government over various scams, veteran social activist Anna Hazare's key aide Arvind Kejriwal has said that the Centre plays politics of power, corruption, and crime whereas they are fighting for truth, and honesty.
Arvind Kerjriwal, the leader Team Anna, explains his motivations and his methods in a fascinating interview with Sheela Bhatt.
Arvind Kerjriwal, the leader Team Anna, explains his motivations and his methods in a fascinating interview with Sheela Bhatt.
What if Madhu Koda or A Raja becomes the prime minister of this country? What if a prime minister, who is privy to the entire security secrets, sell such crucial information? In a 14-page letter to Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday, these were some of the reasons raised by Anna Hazare-led civil society members while arguing for bringing the PM under the purview of Lokpal.
On the last day of his agitation on Tuesday, Ramdev got surprise support of erstwhile Team Anna member Arvind Kejriwal who urged people to back the yoga guru in his protest but warned him against political parties "which are neck-deep in corruption".
'There was a time when a movie star could win an election just by stepping into politics. That era is over.'
Delhi was put on heightened vigil on Wednesday night with deployment of armed police personnel across the city in the wake of the bomb blasts in Pune.
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