New Delhi, Asserting that the Central Government is not serious about passing a strong Lokpal Bill, social activist Arvind Kejriwal has said Team Anna would decide its future course of action after the budget session of parliament ends. "We are waiting for the parliament session to get over. Our future strategy and agitation will be announced after that," Kejriwal told media here. "We do doubt their (government) intentions. When the budget session was so big then why did they not get the bill earlier? Why on the last day? They could have got it 15-30 days earlier, so defiantly there is a doubt over their intentions," he added. Earlier, former Indian Police Service (IPS) officer and Team Anna member Kiran Bedi has said the Central Government is not serious about endorsing an effective Lokpal Bill, since it would be like sounding the death knell for corrupt politicians. "The Lokpal Bill is a very tough law for people who are corrupt and they also happen to be in power. They also know that there is enough proof against them. It will be very difficult for them as they will be investigated and like former telecom minister A Raja they will go to jail because whistleblowers ...
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Ahmedabad/ Ghaziabad, Former Indian Police Service (IPS) officer and Team Anna member Kiran Bedi has said the Central Government is not serious about endorsing an effective Lokpal Bill, since it would be like sounding the death knell for corrupt politicians. "The Lokpal Bill is a very tough law for people who are corrupt and they also happen to be in power. They also know that there is enough proof against them. It will be very difficult for them as they will be investigated and like former telecom minister A Raja they will go to jail because whistleblowers will gather enough proof against them. So this will not be enacted easily," Bedi told media here. "It will be enacted when all of us stand together with Anna Hazare because these politicians count the number of people," she added. Echoing similar sentiment, Team Anna member Manish Sisodia has said that an effective and strong Lokpal Bill couldn't be expected from a cabinet that has corrupt ministers. "How can a country hope for a tough anti-graft law from a cabinet which has 16 ministers who have charges of corruption against them? We have absolutely no hope from this cabinet," said Sisodia. He also said that ...
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Nagpur, One of the vehicles in Anna Hazare's convoy was attacked by a group unidentified people at Chitnis Park. The vehicle was carrying books published by Anna's NGO that were to be sold at the venue. None of the four people inside the vehicle were hurt but the four wheeler's window panes were shattered. The city police have detained seven persons and are investigating further. Anna too visited the police station and inquired about progress in investigation. Datta Awari, who works with Anna at Ralegan Siddhi, said "We had copies of seven books that are printed by our NGO. They are on Lokpal, RTI, Lokayukta etc. As we were entering Chitnis Park through the back gate, the police stopped us. Suddenly a group claiming to be from Youth Congress approached us and opened the back door. The books kept in the vehicle tumbled out and one of the men started shouting that the books were defiling leaders of their party." However Vijay Wanve, general secretary of Youth Congress (Nagpur) said this attack had no official backing. "We would have done it in a much bigger way if we wanted to. This attack was carried out by the general public which also included some of our workers whose ...
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Chandrapur, Anna Hazare has expressed that he would welcome like-minded people like General VK Singh after his retirement as army chief to be a part of his team to fight corruption. Hazare said he would be happy to have General Singh as a part of this team, if the Army chief was interested in joining it. "I am personally not inclined to ask or request anyone to join our agitation against corruption but we have fought two wars - one against Pakistan and the other against Bangladesh during my service in the Army, now we have to fight the enemy within us", he said. "And we need like minded people in our team and if interested, General VK Singh is welcome to join us after his retirement. It would be his choice", Anna told reporters last evening when they asked him whether he would like to invite General Singh to join his team. "Anna's invite to General V K is most appropriate. Imagine if ex-servicemen join Anna they can become a formidable voice against corruption", Team Anna member Kiran Bedi tweeted today. Last month, Team Anna member Arvind Kejriwal while extending support to Gen Singh had said that they were sure that the Army chief will take a decision on what he ...
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New Delhi, The Supreme Court today 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. A bench of justices B S Chauhan and J S Khehar rapped the petitioner, Chennai-resident L K Venkat for filing the PIL. The petitioner had alleged that during the agitation in December last year, the associates of Harare had shown disrespect to the national flag and the government had failed to take any action despite a complaint filed against them. "During the course of the agitation, Hazare and his associates had flown the national flag at half mast in public and also mutilated and defaced the flag," the petitioner alleged. The bench, however, was not satisfied with his contention and during the hearing threatened to impose cost on the petitioner for misusing the process of PIL but it refrained from doing so and dismissed the ...
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New Delhi, Team Anna member Kumar Vishwas on Sunday said one of its core committee members Maulana Shamoon Qasmi was expelled for "breach of trust". "He was asked by Team Anna member Shanti Bhushan to keep away from the meetings and not attend it for the time being," Vishwas said. The crucial meeting was held in Sector-43 of Noida and was attended by Hazare and other core members of the team, including Prashant Bhushan, Kiran Bedi and Kumar Vishwas. Qasmi was accused of audio-recording the proceedings of the core committee meetings on his mobile phone and leaking it elsewhere. Qasmi, however, said he quit the team because it had turned 'political' in nature and there was no place in it for him. "I was in the team only because of Anna Hazare," he said, adding, "Arvind Kejriwal has let the movement down. I was the only Muslim member in the core committee and I am out of it now. They have turned communal." Team Anna said discussions were still on in the core committee about the proposed joint rally with Baba Ramdev and details would emerge in the next couple of days. Addressing the media shortly after the meeting, Kiran Bedi and Prashant Bhushan reiterated that Hazare would ...
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New Delhi, Prominent members of Team Anna are meeting in Noida today to deliberate over the group's future strategy, including their alliance with yoga guru Baba Ramdev, to battle corruption and make a pitch for a strong anti-graft Lokpal(ombudsman). The key members of the group are reportedly upset over anti-graft crusader Anna Hazare joining forces with Ramdev. Hazare, Arvind Kejriwal, Prashant Bhushan, and Kiran Bedi are attending the meeting. The meet will focus on the strategy to pitch for a strong Lokpal. The meet comes as the second phase of the Budget Session of Parliament is set to start on ...
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New Delhi, Joining forces against the government, yoga guru Baba Ramdev and activist Anna Hazare on Friday said the duo will launch a nationwide campaign for a strong Lokpal and return of black money from May 1. The two leaders have also announced plans to sit on a day-long token fast in Delhi on June 3. "We need two movements to bring back black money and for a strong Lokpal. I will sit on a token fast with Anna on June 3. We will start an agitation from Durg in Chhattisgarh from May 1. Anna will also start his yatra from Shirdi from May 1," Ramdev said. Buoyed by the success of the Jantar Mantar fast last month, Hazare reiterated that he was planning a strong campaign for August. Incidentally, the two leaders have shared an uneasy relationship in the past one year. While Ramdev was part of the Jan Lokpal agitation in last April, there was a fall-out between Team Anna and the yoga guru. Team Anna members expressed discomfort with Ramdev's closeness to saffron outfit RSS and there was some distancing between the two groups after the April, 2010, stir. However, these differences appear to have been brushed under the carpet now, with waning interest in the Lokpal ...
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Gurgaon, Anti-corruption activist Anna Hazare and yoga guru Baba Ramdev will jointly sit on a one day token fast in Delhi on June 3. Speaking during a press conference with Ramdev, Hazare said the fast will press for a strong Lokpal bill and mobilise opinion against black money. Ramdev told media persons that he will start a country wide protest from May 1 and also warned of a bigger movement from August. "We need two 'andolans' (movements) to bring back black money stashed abroad and to push for a strong Lokpal. I will sit on a token fast with Anna on June 3," Ramdev said. Ramdev said that he along with Anna Hazare would start an agitation from Chhattisgarh's Durg from May 1. ...
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Gurgaon, Anti-corruption activist Anna Hazare and yoga guru Baba Ramdev will jointly sit on a day's token fast in Delhi June 3 to press for a strong Lokpal Bill and to mobilise opinion against black money. Addressing a joint press conference here, Hazare and Ramdev slammed the government for being involved in corruption. Hazare said they had no intention of making the government fall. However, there was nothing wrong if the people's movement proceeded that way. "Making the government fall is not our intention... if this government is graduate in corruption, the next government will do PhD... But a government that can't understand people's voice, it's not a (matter of) concern if it falls," Hazare said. Ramdev added that the present government had no right to rule. "It can only happen in India that after so many corruption cases the government continues." "Time will change and a government will come that will have only those who want a strong Lokpal," Ramdev said. The two added that they would travel across the country and campaign against ...
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New Delhi, The UPA narrowly escaped another 'Team Anna moment' at the Prime Minister-chaired National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA) meeting on Tuesday, with CMs Nitish Kumar and Akhilesh Yadav coming in handy to counter the agitated civil society representatives, who were demanding immediate closure of hydroelectric projects on tributaries of the Ganges in Uttarakhand. The government did not give in to the demands at the meeting, and managed to avoid a face-off turning into a public relation disaster. The meeting concluded with the decision that a multi-disciplinary group of experts would be set up to assess the fate of the projects based on the reports submitted by IIT-Roorkee and the Wildlife Institute of India. Also, the PM will meet agitating G D Agarwal, who is undergoing treatment at AIIMS, soon. But the decisions came amid high drama, with the members of Team Agarwal and others talking about the ailing activist's absence. The government had agreed to include Prof Agarwal's agenda in the NGRBA meeting after he went on a fast demanding closure of existing projects on the Ganges. Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati, convener of Ganga Seva Abhiyanam and ...
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New Delhi, Challenging parliamentarians to issue privilege notices, Mumbai members of India Against Corruption (IAC) have initiated a 'referendum' to gauge support for Team Anna member Arvind Kejriwal. The campaign started on Sunday and raised the issue of Kejriwal's stand on criminal charges against 162 sitting parliamentarians. Kejriwal has been slapped with privilege notices for "insulting" parliamentarians. The survey is expected to target 50,000 people at public places like train stations, malls and parks. IAC Mumbai head Mayank Gandhi said, "We have put a mirror to the people and are trying to see if people support Arvind's stand." Mumbaikars will be asked to text the answer to the query - "Who has insulted Parliament? The 162 MPs who have serious charges of murder, rape etc and MPs who throw chairs on each other, watch blue films, tear bills, display cash or Arvind Kejriwal who stated the above facts." Kejriwal has in recent speeches raised the issue of pending criminal charges against 162 sitting parliamentarians. When asked if the referendum could work against Kejriwal, Gandhi said, "We are not afraid of privilege notices. In fact we welcome them. ...
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New Delhi, Team Anna locked horns with Himachal Pradesh government calling its draft Lokayukta bill "very weak and ineffective", prompting the BJP-ruled state to cancel a meeting today with the group's key member Arvind Kejriwal. The decision by a miffed state government came as Kejriwal questioned its commitment to fight corruption, saying it appeared BJP and Congress were on the same page on the legislation. Kejriwal described Himachal's Lokayukta bill as "very weak and ineffective" and also asked whether BJP was disowning the "strong" law passed by a BJP-led government in Uttarakhand earlier this year by bringing such a bill in the state. "The Bill is very weak, ineffective and seeks to provide illegitimate protection to corrupt people rather than punish them. Rather than adopt the strong model of Uttarakhand, Himachal government has adopted many of the controversial provisions of central government. This is unfortunate. "Does it mean that BJP disowns its own Uttarakhand Bill? Does it also mean BJP and Congress are on same page on some of the controversial provisions of central bill?" Kejriwal said. His reaction came as Himachal Pradesh government cancelled a ...
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Haridwar, Yoga guru Ramdev today announced a fresh agitation against black money and corruption and said he will stage a one-day dharna on June 3 at New Delhi to mark the first anniversary of the police crackdown on his supporters at Ramlila grounds. Ramdev got support for his fresh campaign, which kicked off today, from Anna Hazare who said they have decided to carry out the fight against corruption together. Hazare said he would go to Delhi on June 3 if he gets a "messsage" from the yoga guru. He told reporters in Haridwar that plans for a "bigger" agitation in August will be announced on June 3 during his one-day dharna at Jantar Mantar. "We have announced the launch of a country-wide peaceful movement against black money and corruption from today," Acharya Balkrishna, a close associate of Ramdev, said in Dehra Dun. Balkrishna said Hazare would also be giving his support to the movement. "We have already made it clear that both Anna Hazare and Baba Ramdev will give support to each others' campaigns," he said. Asked whether he would go to Delhi to join Ramdev on the day of his dharna on June 3, Hazare said, "Yes. When he will give me the message I will go to ...
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New Delhi, SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav slammed Team Anna as "den of criminals', renewing the face-off between the civil society group and MPs barely days after the Lok Sabha censure. Reacting to "offensive statements" made by Team Anna member Arvind Kejriwal, Mulayam Singh Yadav said Team Anna was a 'den of criminals' and Anna Hazare was surrounded by corrupt people. RJD chief Lalu Prasad said, "He (Kejriwal) is a frustrated and discarded person. We should not take notice of what he says. He will go mad in a few days." The attack from top Yadav duo showed the friction remained between the political class and the Lokpal group despite hopes that Lok Sabha censure would cool the tempers. Lok Sabha speaker Meira Kumar this week concluded a debate by saying that any comment which lowered the dignity of parliament was "unwarranted and unacceptable". However, the mild rap contrasted with tempers during the discussion when members sought breach of privilege proceedings against the civil society bloc. SP chief Mulayam Singh had sought their summoning to parliament to seek apology from them. The Team Anna came under attack from the political class after Kejriwal called ...
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New Delhi, Named as the man who offered army chief V.K. Singh a bribe, Lt Gen (retd) Tejinder Khanna said Tuesday that if that had indeed happened then the matter should have been investigated at that time itself. "If army chief had reported the matter to (the defence minister) and if this had happened, then he should have definitely at that time investigated the matter under the law," Tejinder Singh, who filed a defamation case against the army chief in a Delhi court, told NDTV. Defence Minister A.K. Antony told parliament Tuesday that the army chief had told him about Lt Gen Tejinder Singh offering him a bribe. "But he told me he did not want to pursue it. No written complaint was given. Till today I have not received any written complaint from him and after yesterday's (Monday) report, I have ordered a CBI inquiry," Antony said. Sending shockwaves through the defence establishment, the army chief disclosed that he was offered a kickback of Rs.14 crore in his office by a retired defence officer for clearing a tranche of 600 sub-standard vehicles. Though the general did not name Tatra, manufactured by state-owned Bharat Earth Movers Ltd (BEML) under licence from ...
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New Delhi, The speeches given by Team Anna Hazare members are a fit case for privilege and could be considered for appropriate action, Lok Sabha privilege committee chair P C Chacko said. Speaking to TOI on Monday, Chacko said "The comments made by activists generalizing MPs as dacoits and murderers are quite unacceptable. It is an attempt to blackmail Parliament into blindly accepting their demands." Chacko said as yet no complaint has been referred to him by Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar, but the committee would be ready to seek an explanation from persons who leveled allegations against MPs. "We would want to know why the comments were made. Were they innocent or did they indicate a motive," he said. The Kerala MP said Team Anna had previously attracted the attention of MPs for statements that were seen to be insulting and allegations that were made without substantiation. "It has been felt in the past the matter can be dropped after apologies. This time we need to consider whether the actions were deliberate and provocative," he said. In the past, Team Anna members Arvind Kejriwal and Kiran Bedi as well as actor Om Puri, who gave a speech during last year's ...
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New Delhi, Janata Dal (United) today slammed Team Anna for comments against party's national president Sharad Yadav during social activist Anna Hazare's fast at Jantar Mantar here. "Team Anna has used insulting language against Sharadji. This is undemocratic and also an insult to Parliament," JD(U) Delhi unit chief spokesperson Prabhat Ranjan said. Mr Ranjan said Mr Yadav is one of the most honest politician of the country and he has always fought for the common man. "Sharadji always fights for the common man from streets to Parliament," he added. Mr Ranjan said comments against Mr Yadav were highly condemnable and it shows Team Anna's mentality. He alleged that Team Anna was not clean and honest. He said there were charges of irregularities against several team members including Arvind Kejriwal and Kiran Bedi. Mr Ranjan said the team should stop "drama" at a public platform. Team Anna member Manish Sisodia had commented against Mr Yadav after showing footage of the JD(U) president's speech on Lokpal in ...
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New Delhi, Veteran social activist Anna Hazare on Friday urged the Congress-led UPA government to bring a strong and effective Lokpal Bill. He said that the Lokpal Bill that the government is trying to bring out will not be 'effective' in putting a 'brake' on corruption. "The Lokpal Bill of the government will not be effective at all. It will fail to put a brake on corruption," he said. Hazare said that he will sit on fast at New Delhi's Jantar Mantar on March 25 for a strong and effective Lokpal Bill. The Gandhian activist urged the government to bring out the bill before Lok Sabha elections in 2014, else he will start a strong agitation in demand for it. "The government has already seen the results in the five states where results of the Assembly polls were declared. If they do not bring a strong Lokpal Bill by 2014 then the result in 2014 elections will also be bad," Hazare said. Meanwhile, an all party meeting of the Rajya Sabha members that was called by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at his residence on Friday ended without reaching any consensus on the Lokpal Bill issue. The PM met the Rajya Sabha members at his residence for over an hour since 12 noon ...
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New Delhi, Social activist Arvind Kejriwal, a key member of veteran anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare’s group, on Monday asked Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi to disclose his election campaigning expenses. He also dared All India Congress Committee General Secretary Digvijay Singh to make Gandhi's helicopter and the party's other election expenses public, adding that it was the Congress’ turn to publish expenses. Kejriwal reiterated how their group of activists, led by Hazare, had disclosed their expenses and sources of funding for their last year’s extensive campaigning for a tough anti-graft law, the Lokpal Bill, within 24 hours of being asked. The group, nicknamed ‘Team Anna’ asserted that they were not just seeking a disclosure from the Congress but also from all political parties who had canvassed votes for this year’s assembly elections in five states. Backing Kejrijwal, the Hazare who is in New Delhi to attend a meeting of the core committee of his activist group to chalk out a “post-poll strategy”, said "People should know, where their money is being used by these politicians.” Hazare’s group had last year campaigned against ...
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