With the Congress pushed to a distant third in Hisar by-polls, Anna Hazare on Monday said the party should take cue from the result and ensure passage of Jan Lokpal Bill in winter session of Parliament or else he would personally campaign against it in upcoming Assembly elections.
Training his guns simultaneously at social activist Anna Hazare, Bharatiya Janata Party and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati, Congress General Secretary Digvijay Singh on Sunday sought to pep up the morale of his party men, 135 of whom have been awarded tickets for the forthcoming 2012 election to the 403-member UP state assembly.
After disapproving of his letter to Anna Hazare, the Congress on Friday appeared to distance itself from party general secretary Digvijay Singh's charge that Bharatiya Janata Party leader L K Advani and his party were responsible for "encouraging terrorism" in the country.
Team Anna on Monday asked the Congress to make public expenses incurred for hiring choppers for the just-concluded assembly elections to five states, particularly for party chief Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul. Anna Hazare and his close aide Arvind Kejriwal demanded that the expenses should be made public.
In a bid to allay concerns of states and political parties alike, the government appears to have decided to delink the provision of Lokayuktas in states from the Lokpal Bill.
Ahead of their proposed protests in New Delhi, Anna Hazare and yoga guru Ramdev on Tuesday launched an attack on the UPA government accusing it of not showing enough resolve in tackling corruption and bringing back black money stashed away abroad.
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.
Anna Hazare and his team on Thursday met the Election Commission in a bid to raise the pitch for electoral reforms and demanded that the 'right to reject' option be included in electronic voting machines.Hazare, along with his close associates Santosh Hegde, Prashant Bhushan, Arvind Kejriwal and Kiran Bedi, discussed the matter for about an hour with Chief Election Commissioner S Y Qureshi. According to Team Anna, the meeting was "very useful".
Social activist Anna Hazare will receive an award of Rs 25 lakh from a Delhi-based organisation for his contribution to rural development.
Anna Hazare on Wednesday said he is going to embark on a nation wide movement against corruption from November 30 and will soon form a core committee.
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.
Anna Hazare's team on Tuesday described Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi's sadhavana fast as one held for his "personal political gain". The anti-corruption activist's aides also said the country does not need more yatras and fasts but effective steps to fight corruption, including the Jan Lokpal bill, for which they were fighting. Prominent lawyer Prashant Bhushan said, "It was done for personal political gain."
'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.
A day after Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee trashed Team Anna's allegations of corruption against him, its key member Arvind Kejriwal said he should face an independent probe to prove his innocence.
A Congress member of Parliament on Wednesday withdrew his privilege notice against associates of Anna Hazare alleging hey were using it to gain "cheap publicity" and justify their statements against parliamentarians.
Besides corruption, the agency mentioned bureaucratic logjam and slow pace of judicial decision-making as factors hindering the Indian economy.
According to C V Madhukar, a senior member of PRS Legislative Research, an independent Delhi-based think-tank, 'the debate on the Lokpal Bill reflected how Parliament functions about 80 percent of the time.' Rajni Bakshi on how we can engage better with Parliament.
Congress on Wednesday hit out at Anna Hazare saying he should not call himself Gandhian as he justified slapping.
As part of the countrywide demonstration, supporters of Anna Hazare on Thursday held peaceful demonstration in front of the rented house of Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh in Guwahati shouting slogans demanding introduction and adoption of the Jan Lokpal Bill to fight corruption.
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.
The 'Gram Sanvad Yatra', as it is called, will start from June 18 and end on July 12 and will be anchored by Team Anna member Manish Sisodia. The yatra is aimed at drumming up support for its indefinite fast in New Delhi from July 25 against the United Progressive Alliance government for failing to pass a strong Lokpal Bill
Addressing a rally in Thane district of Maharashtra on Thursday night as part of his tour to create awareness about a strong Lokpal, the anti-corruption crusader softened his stand on the prime minister and instead appeared to blame Sonia Gandhi, without naming her
From Ramlila Maidan to Ralegan Siddi -- Anna Hazare's village, celebrations at full blast replaced days of protests as the Gandhian broke his fast on Sunday with his supporters marking "people's victory" with dancing, waving of tri-colour and handing out of sweets and flowers.
As Anna Hazare's fast entered the 12th day, Pranab Mukherjee said the situation was "moving out of hand" and "a crisis" had been created even as he asked lawmakers to "seize the moment and demonstrate the commitment" in dealing with corruption which is "gnawing at the vitals of our polity".
A group of Anna Hazare supporters on Friday protested outside the residence of Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi, shouting slogans in favour of the Gandhian and his demand for a strong Lokpal.
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
"We cannot wish away corruption by the mere desire to see it removed from our lives. This requires a comprehensive framework of action and a concerted political programme supported by all levels of the State, from the highest to the lowest. Most importantly, it requires firm political will," Gandhi said during Zero Hour, amid noisy protests from National Democratic Alliance members
A "disgruntled" volunteer of Team Anna today attempted self-immolation at the fast site of Anna Hazare and yoga guru Ramdev, alleging that he was mistreated by prominent members of India Against Corruption. The volunteer, donning a Team Anna T-shirt and cap and carrying a mega phone, surfaced at the media enclosure of the protest site at Jantar Mantar around 12:15 pm when a close aide of Ramdev was speaking on black money.
Amid continuing deadlock between government and Team Anna Hazare on Lokpal, the Gandhian on Thursday wrote to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the issue.
Expressing dismay over the government's stand over the Lokpal Bill, former Indian Police Service officer and Team Anna member Kiran Bedi said, "Who do we talk to? Usually talks happen with those who can decide something. Who do we talk to in this country? This is the big question."
Anna Hazare's campaign loomed large over the Lok Sabha on Wednesday with the Opposition targeting the government over the issue of corruption, warning that the country was sitting on a volcano which could explode if the political class failed to get its act together. Singling out the Congress-led coalition for attack, the Opposition wanted the government to realise that whatever was happening at Ramlila Maidan showed that people had become alert and angry over corruption.
The second part of lawyer and brain behind the Anna Hazare campaign, Prashant Bhushan's interview to rediff.com's Sheela Bhatt.
Dinesh Trivedi, a member of the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs, says, "Our government is seriously bothered about Anna's health. Why is Team Anna not requesting Annaji to break his fast, even once? I believe the government is more worried about Anna's health than even Team Anna."
Grappling with the situation arising out of Anna Hazare's fast, the government on Tuesday held hectic consultations to find a way out of the logjam with Team Anna demanding that it mandate somebody officially for opening a political dialogue on the Lokpal issue.
Coming out in support of Arvind Kejriwal on his allegations against Robert Vadra, Anna Hazare on Saturday asked why Congress fears a judicial probe in the matter if they are sure that the charges are false.
Pakistani rights activist Ansar Burney on Monday he would launch a campaign against corruption and terrorism in his country after Eid-ul-Fitr, mirroring an anti-graft drive by activist Anna Hazare in India that has gained thousands of followers. Pakistan is confronting a "dire and painful period in its history, with rampant and continuously growing corruption and terrorism destroying every fabric of our nation and any prospects of a decent future for our children".
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.
Speculation was rife on Sunday about back-room negotiations to resolve differences between Centre and Anna Hazare after a senior Maharashtra government official met the Gandhian in New Delhi but his team ruled out any compromise on its demand for bringing Prime Minister and higher judiciary within Lokpal's ambit.