The Centre has initiated a dialogue process with Team Anna at various levels to break the deadlock over the Lokpal issue, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Harish Rawat said on Sunday.
Adopting a tough posture, team Anna Hazare on Wednesday asked a Parliamentary panel to recommend to the government to withdraw the Lokpal Bill and come out with a fresh measure that deals with problem of corruption faced by the public.
Having plumped for electoral politics, Team Anna may soon face the acid test on whether to contest the upcoming assembly elections in Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh.
Team Anna met in Noida on Monday amid a rift between them and yoga guru over the treatment meted out to Arvind Kejriwal in public and differences within them over attacking Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
Lashing out at Abhishek Singhvi on the draft Lokpal Bill, Team Anna on Wednesday accused the Congress leader of disrespecting Parliament by going against its commitment of including lower bureaucracy and Citizens' Charter in the ambit of the ombudsman.
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
Asserting that she will fight for the passage of the Lokpal bill in Parliament, a combative Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday hit out at the Opposition for "obstructionist" tactics and Team Anna for "deliberate and malicious" criticism of the government.
The All India Congress Committee and Digvijay Singh again appeared to be not on the same page -- this time on the issue of seeking cooperation from Team Anna over exposing some of the dealings of two Gujarat businessmen allegedly close to the Ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in the state.
With Team Anna asking people not to back their party in Hisar Lok Sabha bypolls, chief ministers of three Congress-ruled states and senior leaders on Monday hit back at the Jan Lokpal Bill champions, dubbing them as agents of Opposition "trying to grind their own axe in the guise of fighting graft".
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.
For the first time, Team Anna will have a new mascot in its posters with Arvind Kejriwal's images being used in campaign material seeking support for its indefinite fast from July 25.
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Team Anna's core committee met in Monday at Ghaziabad amidst suggestions that the anti-corruption movement should not target a single political party in the future.
Team Anna member Arvind Kejriwal kept his attack on Congress presidential candidate Pranab Mukherjee, demanding that allegations raised by them should be probed.
Medha Patkar, a member of Team Anna, on Friday said there was a need for "overhauling" the group as it was facing a number of allegations and many members of the core committee were being targeted. At the same time, Patkar said she will not be attending Saturday's core committee meeting, which Anna Hazare and Justice Santosh Hegde have also decided to skip. "I don't think there is a difference of opinion," she said.
Plagued by controversies, Team Anna is approaching retired judges requesting them to become part of a committee to be set up by the civil society group to probe allegations against its key members.
Team Anna will start its campaign in five election-bound states from Uttarakhand from January 21.
Government and Team Anna on Saturday spoke of the need for a dialogue on the Lokpal issue despite continuing rhetoric on both sides.
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.
A senior Delhi Police official said they have given permission to the activists after they provided the required undertaking mandated by the Supreme Court.
Raking up the issue of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh-Team Anna "nexus", Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on Friday alleged that Mohan Bhagwat, Anna Hazare and Govindacharya are "contradicting" one another over the issue.
Activist Arvind Kejriwal on Friday reached out to placate erstwhile Team Anna member Kiran Bedi, who was distancing from them on targetting the Bharatiya Janata Party, an issue which remained unresolved even after the meeting.
Even as Wednesday's serial low-intensity blasts in Pune may have managed to divert attention from Team Anna's ongoing anti-graft protest, police continue to look for clues into the attack.
After disbanding his team, Anna Hazare is working on plans to stitch a new team in the crusade against corruption for which he has convened a meeting of like-minded people by the end of this month.
The Bharatiya Janata Party Monday asked Team Anna to exercise control over its language while criticising the prime minister, saying use of intemperate words against somebody holding the top post is not acceptable.
With the government ruling out their demands, Team Anna today said their indefinite fast from July 25 will go on as planned and alleged that the government was playing with words and has left questions unanswered on the issue of corruption.
Janata Party chief Dr Subramanian Swamy slammed Team Anna on Thursday for 'insisting a new law to deal with corruption and bring the premier investigating agency under the Lokpal'. The government's Lokpal Bill is likely to be introduced in the Parliament on Thursday afternoon, which has already been opposed by Team Anna.
The Election Commission has virtually disfavoured Team Anna's electoral reform proposals saying its demand for 'Right to Recall' will bring instability while 'Right to Reject' will lead to more frequent elections.
Under attack over allegations of financial misconduct and demands for its disbanding, Team Anna on Sunday decided to formulate a constitution for its anti-corruption movement and revamp the core committee after that.
With government appearing not keen on bringing Central Bureau of Investigation under Lokpal, Team Anna on Tuesday raised the pitch over the proposed legislation alleging that the UPA was making a fool of the whole country as it was not letting control over the investigative agency go.
Hazare has served an ultimatum that he will wait for the government to take a decision on their demands in the next four days or else he will join his colleagues on fast from Sunday
Stepping up pressure on Lokpal issue with a rally in the capital, Team Anna on Sunday said the Congress high command should make it clear "what it wants" as the "right" bill will not come without its word.
Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia and Gopal Rai have refused hospitalisation despite their health condition worsening and a warning from police that organisers will be "squarely responsible" if anything happens to the fasting activists.
Arvind Kejriwal, core member of Hazare's team, also appealed to people here to hold a protest outside the 7, Race Course Road official residence of the Prime Minister demanding tabling of Jan Lokpal Bill in Parliament.
Amid "confusion" on how to take the movement forward, Team Anna's Core Committee met in Ghaziabad on Monday sans ailing Anna Hazare to decide on their future strategy.
Two days ahead of Anna Hazare's fast for a strong Lokpal Bill, his team today stepped up attack on government questioning the "credibility" of the Standing Committee report on the issue saying it has only the support of 12 members.
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.
Over 100 activists of India Against Corruption commenced an indefinite fast in Chennai expressing solidarity with Team Anna's demand for a detailed enquiry into alleged corruption charges against 15 Ministers, including the prime minister.
Indicating steps towards forming a political party, Team Anna on Friday announced launching of a "movement" and putting up candidates in the 2014 elections.
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