Indeed there is an extraordinarily stark contrast between the mansion in South Mumbai and the reality of Golibar -- with its fragile, tiny one room homes set amid open sewage channels in narrow lanes.
Dynastic rule in a party is curse for our political system and has to be rooted out, activist Arvind Kejriwal said on Friday, urging the youths to grab this "last chance" to bring a change.
Prasanna D Zore and photographer Sanjay Sawant travel to Ralegan Siddhi, the Maharashtra village where Gandhian Anna Hazare started his long journey in the path of social activism
Anti-corruption activist Anna Hazare on Wednesday shot off a letter to Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, slamming the reaction of his government and the Congress to his indefinite fast on Lokpal Bill issue, and urged him to show courage to take unprecedented steps to fight the menace.
The government is planning a special Parliament session in mid January next year for the Lokpal Bill as the Bharatiya Janata Party has a majority in the Rajya Sabha, sources told rediff.com.
Under fire from a section of erstwhile Team Anna members for deciding to join politics, activist Arvind Kejriwal has said there could not be 100 per cent unanimity on any decision and "very dear" friends who are opposed to it are "small in number".
Paving the way for the formation of a political party, Team Anna on Monday disbanded itself and decided not to have any more talks with the government on the Lokpal issue.
Against the backdrop of indefinite fast by Anna Hazare coming to an end, Law Minister Salman Khurshid has said the government is "much better equipped" now to deal with such situations even as he underlined that the Lokpal will be created before the 2014 elections.
The official twitter handle of India Against Corruption as well as its official website on Thursday put a poser to the public asking "should Annaji provide a political alternative to the country? Reply YES or NO to this tweet?"
The Congress on Friday hit out at Anna Hazare and his team accusing them of turning dharnas into a 'joke' as their indefinite fast against corruption entered its third day with yoga guru Ramdev today joining them.
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.
Anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare has been urged to support the demand for repeal of the controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act, 1958 by Manipuri social activist Irom Sharmila, who has been on an indefinite fast on the issue for nearly 11 years now.
Prasanna D Zore reports from Ralegan Siddhi on the journey of an ordinary man from a modest village in Maharashtra to the Ramlila Maidan in Delhi, where his indefinite fast has brought the government to its knees.
In an interview with CNN-IBN, Infosys founder Narayana Murthy urges activist Anna Hazare to end his indefinite fast for the implementation of the Jan Lokpal Bill
Amidst speculations that the number of protestors at the Ramlila Ground in Delhi will dwindle at the end of the extended weekend, people turned up in large numbers on Tuesday to support Anna Hazare who is on an indefinite fast to press for a stronger Lokpal Bill.
At about 2 pm on August 20, anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare completed 100 hours of his indefinite fast. The 74-year-old Gandhian chose the moment to address the mammoth crowd gathered at the Ramlila Ground who had come from different parts of the country to express their support for Anna Hazare's cause.
All Opposition political parties were united on Tuesday in their condemnation of the government's decision to detain Anna Hazare and his aides, hours before the Gandhian activist was scheduled to go on an indefinite fast against corruption in New Delhi. Leaders of the Left Front are scheduled to meet their counterparts in the Bharatiya Janata Party and other Opposition parties at 2 pm on Tuesday to chalk out their strategy in the wake of Hazare's detention.
A fresh stand-off appears to be brewing between Anna Hazare and the government with the Gandhian seeking Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's intervention over the strict conditions imposed for his indefinite fast from August 16. But he was sternly told by the PM to approach the Delhi police.
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.
The Andhra Pradesh government on Sunday revoked the suspension of Vijayawada Police Commissioner K V Rajendranath Reddy nearly two weeks after he was taken off duty following the "escape" of Lagadapati Rajagopal MP from a hospital.
Questioning Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's honesty, the Anna Hazare team has raised its pitch on the Lokpal Bill demanding that its version be placed before Parliament, saying that the "weak" government draft was a "joke" played on the nation.
Facing Anna Hazare's threat to go on an indefinite fast from August 16, government and the Congress on Thursday hardened its stand, making it clear to activists involved in the drafting the Lokpal Bill that Parliament is the final authority in making laws.
Amid the din and noise created over black money and corruption, the proposals to revitalise the rural economy by strengthening agriculture were simply ignored, says food security expert Devinder Sharma.
The government and Baba Ramdev were on Friday locked in a standoff over his indefinite fast against black money leading to a blame game between the two sides. The yoga guru was in a tight corner after government released\\na letter from his aide that he would call off the agitation by mid-day.
Rediif.com's Sahim Salim reports from Ramlila Grounds in New Delhi, where yoga guru Baba Ramdev will begin his indefinite fast against corruption on Saturday.
"It is not a competition. Ultimately we will have to think about the country. We will have to think about the welfare of the people. Ramdev is taking up some issues. Anna Hazare has taken up some issues No one is outshining anyone," Hazare's close associate Arvind Kejriwal said
Kanimozhi and Kalmadi were welcomed as if they were freedom fighters emerging from jail. Getting bail does not mean that the cases against them have come to an end, or that they have been found innocent by the trial courts, says T V R Shenoy.
This time it is more of a non-political movement which aims at systemic reform. It does not aim to change the government. It wants to change the system. If Hazare succeeds in this he will make a far deeper impact on the system than JP or VP did.
Noted social activist Swami Agnivesh has said that there is no need to show any leniency to Team Anna members Prashant Bhushan, Arvind Kejriwal and Kiran Bedi if they are found guilty of violating the law of the land.
The end of an extended weekend saw the crowd of protesters at Ramlila Maidan, where social activist Anna Hazare is on an indefinite fast, dwindling on Tuesday.
The people will rule in a democracy, and that is what made the government give up the restrictions it had imposed for allowing Hazare to hold his indefinite fast in Delhi.
In a late night crackdown, the police on Wednesday evicted YSR Congress Party president Y S Jaganmohan Reddy from the venue of his indefinite hunger strike called to protest bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh and took him into preventive custody as doctors voiced concern over his deteriorating health.
Anna Hazare on Tuesday alleged he is being targeted by the government, claiming his records in the Army were being checked and people sent to his village in Maharashtra to check on his organisation.
The government is not engaged in any 'back door' dialogue with yoga guru Ramdev, who went on an indefinite fast on the issue of repatriation of black money, Union Law Minister M Veerappa Moily said. "There is no back door and open door talks with any one. Whether it is Ramdev or anyone," he told reporters. Moily evaded reply when asked whether the government has sought the help of Art of Living founder Sri Sri Ravishankar for negotiations with the yoga guru.
The government and Baba Ramdev have been unable to come to a negotiated settlement over the Baba's indefinite fast at Delhi's Ramlila Maidan. But the real story is the widening gulf between the Sonia Gandhi-led Congress party and the Dr Manmohan Singh led United Progressive Alliance government which has now come out almost in the open. In an interesting development, Sonia Gandhi called a meeting of senior leaders at her residence at 6.30 pm on Saturday.
After an all out tongue lashing by the Congress party, the government has hardened its position vis--vis yoga guru Baba Ramdev with the government deciding to reject most of his demands except the ones over black money which are under discussion.
The Shiv Sena and the Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday came out in support of social activist Anna Hazare, on the second day of his indefinite fast in Delhi, demanding implementation of Jan Lokpal Bill
Srinagar observed a sudden shutdown on Friday after the health of Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) chairman Yasin Malik, who is on an indefinite fast, got deteriorated.
Togadia said he would go on an indefinite fast from Tuesday to push the Hindutva cause.
