Anna Hazare trusts Narendra Modi on “development” but not the maturity of the Indian voter. Fresh from the Lok Pal “victory”, the social activist has said he will never contest an election as most Indian voters do not value their vote and sell it for money and liquor. “I will lose my deposit if I stand for elections.… The voter is not aware. Many of them cast their votes for a 100-rupee...

That accountability is vital in a democracy was reinforced at a National Convention of the National Campaign for the People's Right to Information held in Shillong recently… If governments do not investigate corruption, people should have the right and power to do so themselves. When the idea of a people's legal right to information took initial shape in the dusty villages of Rajasthan nearly two decades ago amidst people's struggles for...

Framed with a purpose of rooting away corruption, the Rajasthan Lokayukta and Up-Lokayuktas Act, 1973 seems to be only a paper tiger. Cited as one of the weakest Act in its kind in the country, it makes the Lokayukta's office a mere investigative body that gives recommendations. "We are just an investigative body that gives recommendations. We cannot take any punitive action. "Even for our investigation, we donot have agency assigned...

The government appointed committee to draft the Lokpal Bill has set June 30 as the deadline to complete the task, law minister M Veerappa Moily said on Sunday. Moily, who is also the covener of the committee, said the government was keen to introduce the bill in the monsoon session of Parliament. "If all cooperate, the bill will be passed in the monsoon session itself," he told reporters here. Moily said Karnataka chief...

The anti-politician tirade at the venue of Anna Hazare’s fast is likely to prompt an indignant political class to close ranks and take on social activists in the coming days. Many Opposition leaders who had initially rejoiced when Hazare’s movement cornered the government are now backing the Centre to take a firm stand against the “unreasonable” demands from activists. At a recent meeting with Pranab Mukherjee, key Opposition leaders had asked the...