Ahead of Anna Hazare's fast, Congress General Secretary Digvijay Singh on Saturday accused him of playing into the hands of the Bharatiya Janata Party to harm the party despite it fulfilling the commitment to bring the Lokpal Bill.
With the Bombay high court on Friday rejecting the petition seeking direction to Maharashtra government for waiving or reducing the rent for MMRDA ground for his fast, Anna Hazare said the volunteers should not have sought legal remedy. "Our volunteers shouldn't have approached court," he told the media Ralegan Siddhi.
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.
India Against Corruption, the Non-Governmental Organisation spearheading Anna Hazare's proposed fast, on Tuesday expressed shock at the prohibitive cost of hiring the MMRDA ground and asked the Maharashtra government to waive it entirely or allow use of Azad Maidan for the agitation.
Seeking to galvanise public opinion in favour of its version of Lokpal Bill, the Anna Hazare team on Thursday initiated a "referendum" on the law in Chandni Chowk Lok Sabha constituency represented by Human Resources and Development Minister Kapil Sibal.
Even as Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh assured the nation that his government was committed in passing the Lokpal Bill, Anna Hazare continued to accuse the government of deceit.
Even as Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh assured the nation that his government was committed in passing the Lokpal Bill, Anna Hazare continued to accuse the government of deceit.
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.
The Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed a PIL seeking action against Anna Hazare and his team members for allegedly showing disrespect to the national flag during his agitation for the Lokpal bill last year.
Anna Hazare on Wednesday found fault with the government for bringing a separate Citizens' Charter bill saying it was against the assurance given by Parliament to him and urged Trinamool Congress Chief Mamata Banerjee to pressurise the United Progressive Alliance on Lokpal issue as she did on FDI in retail.
Veteran social activist Anna Hazare has questioned the government's intention to draft an effective Lokpal Bill. Talking to reporters on the sidelines of a function in Pune on Friday, Hazare expressed apprehensions over the commitment of political leaders to build a corruption-free India.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati has had a change of heart as far as Anna Hazare's campaign for the Jan Lokpal Bill is concerned. Singing the same tune as the anti-corruption crusader, Mayawati said on Tuesday that the prime minister, the Central Bureau of Investigation and all section of government employees should be brought under the ambit of the Lokpal.
Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Monday announced a slew of stricter laws to fight corruption and amendments in the existing Lokayukta Act. Gogoi said, "The new anti-corruption legislations and the amendments to State Lokayukta Act will be tabled in the state assembly in the next budget session." "We were committed to tackling corruption even before Anna Hazare started his campaign. With that in mind, we will make amendments in the present Lokayukta Act," he said.
If the nascent US upturn gathers momentum, then the global scenario could look less disaster-prone a year from now.
Targeting the political class, Team Anna member Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress of misusing the Central Bureau of Investigation while in power. He also took on Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee for not being vocal about Lokpal like she was on the issue of Foreign Direct Investment in retail.
Contrary to Anna Hazare's view -- that Rahul Gandhi was behind the Standing Committee's decision to exclude the lower bureaucracy from the purview of Lokpal -- there are indications now that it may be Gandhi who may want their inclusion, says Neerja Chowdhury
With the threat of Anna Hazare's agitation looming large, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has called an all-party meeting next week to evolve a broad consensus on the Lokpal Bill and ensure its passage during the current session of Parliament that ends on December 22. Before the all-party meeting, the United Progressive Alliance allies will hold confabulations among themselves on December 13 to devise a common strategy and speak in one voice in Parliament.
Activist Anna Hazare on Saturday blamed Rahul Gandhi for encouraging Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi, chairman of the Standing Committee of Law and Justice, Public Grievances and Personnel, for overlooking the letter written by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
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.
Abhishek Manu Singvi, chairman of 30-member Standing Committee of Parliament, on Wednesday adopted the Lokpal draft for consideration and approval by the union cabinet before it is tabled in both houses in the form of an anti-corruption bill.
Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar on Wednesday lashed out at Anna Hazare for his remarks justifying the recent physical attack on him, saying any further assault on him would be amply clear from where the instigation emanates.
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.
As fresh cracks appeared in Team Anna after the expulsion of a Muslim leader, activist Anna Hazare on Monday said there is no rift in the group over the "leakage" of information. In his first reaction after the expulsion of Mufti Shameem Kazmi after he was allegedly found recording the proceedings of a core committee meeting in Noida on Sunday, Hazare said that there is no fallout over the issue.
High drama was witnessed at the Team Anna core committee meeting in Noida on Sunday with the group expelling one of its members Mufti Shameem Kazmi for allegedly recording its proceedings even as he claimed that he quit the movement as it was turning anti-Muslim.
Within a month of stitching an alliance to fight corruption, Team Anna is now fuming at yoga guru Ramdev for his "one-upmanship" and "not taking into confidence" Anna Hazare while announcing the future course of action.
Team Anna member Kiran Bedi on Thursday contended that the Parliamentary Standing Committee recommendations on Lokpal Bill will only help in making the ombdusman an "Enquiry Pal" with no powers at all. Bedi said Anna Hazare and his supporters did not fight for such an anti-corruption watchdog.
There are some who go with the flow, while there are others who try to change the world for better with their revolutionary thinking.
In a veiled attack on Arvind Kejriwal, activist Kiran Bedi said erstwhile Team Anna has become "suspect" in its programme after a few chose the political route and suggested that Anna Hazare step in to provide direction.
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.
The Congress on Wednesday charged Yoga guru Ramdev and social activist Anna Hazare of having a "hidden agenda" to destabilize the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government at the Centre.
Social activist Anna Hazare will undertake a month-long statewide tour from May 1 to create public awareness on the need for a strong Lokayukta legislation in Maharashtra.
Sandeep Dikshit, Congress Member of Parliament and Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit's son, on Tuesday attributed his party's defeat in the Delhi civic polls to a disconnect between the party and the people. He also claimed that an environment was created by reports of the Comptroller and Auditor General and the anti-corruption movement led by Anna Hazare that made people believe the Congress was at the "centre of all the wrong" that was happening.
Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh on Saturday accused activist Anna Hazare of provoking violence, in an apparent reference to his reaction over the attack on Union minister Sharad Pawar. In two of his posts on the microblogging site Twitter, Singh said, "Anna Gandhian -- Provokes Violence. Bedi "X Cop"-- Urges People to break Law Kejriwal "X IRS"- Returns Donations to Anonymous. Shanti Bhushan "X Law Minister"- Promises to fix Judges. Pranab Da How right you are!"
On a day his associates staged a protest in New Delhi against the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party, Anna Hazare came out with a new blog handle which is other than the one on the official website of India Against Corruption.
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.
Right to Information activist Arvind Kejriwal has been in the forefront of the massively publicised movement to demand a Lokpal Bill. A close associate of Gandhian Anna Hazare, Kejriwal has staunchly defended the movement and rebuffed many allegations made against civil society activists by the ruling Congress party. He has also taken on senior Congress leaders like Digvijaya Singh and Pranab Mukherjee who had taken pot shots at Hazare's movement.
The joint drafting committee on the Lokpal Bill met in New Delhi on Tuesday for the last time amid "fresh and serious" differences between the government and Anna Hazare team.
The Vishwa Hindu Parishad on Thursday said its volunteers were active in Gandhian Anna Hazare's movement against corruption in Delhi last year.
Anna Hazare-led activists on Monday reacted sharply Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee for accusing the civil society of trying to undermine democracy and said his statement betrayed a "distorted understanding of democracy and arrogance of power".
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