There is no doubt that anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare has legions of followers. And they are all contributing their might to his movement for a stronger Jan Lokpal Bill.
Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar on Saturday said that there was "no division" in the United Progressive Alliance over the Lokpal issue even as his party spokesperson criticised Anna Hazare's arrest.
Affirming that there was a "lot of scope for give and take" on the Lokpal Bill, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has said that the government was open to "discussion and dialogue" on the issue.
Law Minister Salman Khurshid on Friday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of not speaking about its problems with Lokpal Bill before the debate on it in Rajya Sabha and sought to know from the party why it did not ask for the legislation to be put to vote with limited discussion.
Key member of the team and former IPS officer Kiran Bedi tore into the Congress, saying the onus was on it to get the crucial legislation passed in Rajya Sabha as it was the ruling party.
The Congress Party deserves no pity because it got caught in its own web of deceit. They created a product they did not want and ensured nobody bought it. Sheela Bhatt reports.
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.
The Delhi Police finds itself in a piquant situation after allowing Team Anna Hazare's India Against Corruption to fast for a strong Lokpal Bill upto September 2 at the Ramleela grounds. The place has been booked by another organisation for a rally on September 1.
"There is a long way to go for 12 O' clock (midnight)." This is what Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari told Communist Party of India-Marxist Sitaram Yechury when he sought to know whether the session will continue beyond midnight.
Kargil 1999. Mumbai terror attacks 2008. And now, social activist Anna Hazare's campaign against corruption and enactment of a strong Jan Lokpal law. Very few moments in recent Indian history have been as electric as these three in bringing Indians of all hues together. Prasanna D Zore reports from New Delhi.
As the government prepared to table the Lokpal Bill in the Rajya Sabha, its key partner Trinamool Congress on Wednesday indicated that it could act difficult as it had objections to the provision on setting up of Lokayuktas in states
In a House of 243, the ruling United Progressive Alliance has the clear support of 101 members and needs at least another 21 members to ensure a simple majority for the bill
The differences between the Congress and the BJP are too obvious and it seems, as expected, this Parliament is a divided house on the issue of fighting corruption.
While tackling the differences over the Lokpal Bill with social activist Anna Hazare and his team, the Manmohan Singh government has landed in a bigger mess by sending Hazare to Tihar jail. Sheela Bhatt explains why.
Anna Hazare on Tuesday faced a low turnout as he launched his three-day fast against a "weak" Lokpal Bill asking people to be ready for an 'aar paar ki ladai' (fight to finish) to stamp out corruption and ensure that "goondas" do not enter Parliament.
In a clear indication of a change in strategy in tackling Anna Hazare's protest over the Lokpal Bill, the government on Tuesday refrained from making any personal attack on the activist but justified his arrest, saying defiance of police order was not acceptable in democracy.
On the eve of Anna Hazare's fast against the "weak" Lokpal Bill, the government on Monday asked him to wait for the outcome of Parliament's debate on the legislation on Tuesday before launching his agitation.
Ahead of Anna Hazare's fast from Tuesday to demand a 'strong' Lokpal, Team Anna on Monday said it was not aligned with anyone in particular and that it was only fighting to achieve an "independent" and "non-partisan" Central Bureau of Investigation.
Ahead of Anna Hazare's proposed fast on Lokpal, the Congress on Sunday launched a no-holds-barred attack, saying he should first clarify the "serious" findings against him of a commission that probed graft charges and accused him of attempting to bring instability in the country.
Team Anna on Friday got permission from the Delhi police to hold protest in Ramlila Maidan in New Delhi from December 27 for five days in support of Anna Hazare who will go on a fast in Mumbai.
The Anna Hazare Team on Thursday expressed satisfaction over the venue offered to them by police for holding the indefinite fast against Lokpal Bill even as they denied any going back on their stand on the legislation.
According to former CBI director Joginder Singh, it would be meaningless to bring the agency under the ambit of the Lokpal, says Vicky Nanjappa
The Delhi police is understood to have sought two more days to take a decision on giving permission to social activist Anna Hazare to organise his indefinite fast against Lokpal Bill in New Delhi even as his team has secured a no-objection certificate from the Municipal Corporation of Delhi to hold the protest at Ramlila Maidan.
Changing his plans to come to Delhi, Anna Hazare will now head to Ralegan Siddhi on Monday and stay there for the next couple of days as there is no clear indication when the Lokpal Bill will be introduced in Parliament.
After Congress General Secretary Digvijay Singh, another Congress leader has incurred social activist Anna Hazare's wrath. This time Hazare has slammed Human Resource Minister Kapil Sibal for sabotaging the Lokpal bill by not bringing a good bill before the Parliament.
As it finalises the Lokpal Bill for moving it in Parliament next week, government is open to many suggestions made at the all-party meet, including bringing the prime minister under the purview of the ombudsman with certain safeguards and 50 per cent quota for SCs, STs and others.
Slamming Team Anna for burning copies of the Lokpal Bill, government on Thursday said actions of the civil society members was an insult to Parliament and posed a danger to democracy.
Social activist Anna Hazare on Tuesday issued an open letter to all members of Parliament, appealing them to prevent introduction of the 'anti-poor' Lokpal Bill passed by the Cabinet last week.
Hazare questioned the government's intentions on the Lokpal Bill and said he was ready to go to jail if he was not allowed to demanding a strong anti-corruption law.
Taking on Rahul Gandhi, Anna Hazare on Sunday said he aspires to be the prime minister but spending "one day" in a hut is just not enough. "I don't have any fight with Rahul Gandhi. He is also young man. He dreams of becoming the prime minister. But spending one day in a hut is not enough. He has to spend months doing it," Hazare said in his address during his one-day dharna protesting against the Parliamentary Standing Committee report on Lokpal Bill.
Taking on Rahul Gandhi, Anna Hazare on Sunday said he aspires to be the prime minister but spending "one day" in a hut is just not enough. "I don't have any fight with Rahul Gandhi. He is also young man. He dreams of becoming the prime minister. But spending one day in a hut is not enough. He has to spend months doing it," Hazare said in his address during his one-day dharna protesting against the Parliamentary Standing Committee report on Lokpal Bill.
Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party were on Friday engaged in a slugfest over government's refusal of permission to Anna Hazare to go on a fast against the Lokpal Bill with the opposition party dubbing it as "undemocratic," a charge strongly refuted by the ruling party.
His former blogger, Raju Parulekar on Tuesday said youth from various parts of the country will hold a three-day protest at Jantar Mantar from December 10 against Hazare and his supporters.
The government draft on the Lokpal Bill, which is expected to be considered by the Cabinet this week, does not include the prime minister in the purview of the ombudsman but the final call on the ticklish issue will be taken by Parliament and its Standing Committee. Disclosing this, Home Minister P Chidambaram said the Bill will be introduced in Parliament in the monsoon session starting on August 1.
Lokayukta sources said much of the findings are already in the public domain as the report was leaked.
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.
Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Uma Bharti on Monday expressed strong support for the movements of Anna Hazare and Baba Ramdev and said that prime minister must be brought under the Lokpal Bill.
Differences between Team Anna and Aam Aadmi Party came to the fore on Friday when its leader Gopal Rai tried to interrupt General V K Singh's speech at the venue and was rebuffed by Anna Hazare who has been on indefinite hunger strike for passage in Parliament of Jan Lokpal Bill.
The National Democratic Alliance and the Left is likely to corner the United Progressive Alliance on issues pertaining to price rise and black money on the first day of the winter session, which starts on Tuesday. Sheela Bhatt reports
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