Women's groups may need to take lessons from Team Anna in campaigning for their quota bill Most MPs are opposed to the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Bill, 2011, which was introduced in the Lok Sabha on Thursday, just as they were opposed to the Women's Reservation Bill. But the Lokpal Bill stands a better chance of being enacted. Unlike the Women's Reservation Bill, which had no support on the streets, the anti-corruption law...

Anyone can talk big things, but nothing beats the old saying; “Action speaks louder than words”. How do we tackle the situation where most of the so called concerned people are actually opportunists who are waiting for someone to get the beating first and decide? What will happen in a society where everyone is an opportunist with illusionary autocratic mentality; sitting comfortably at a distance and only pointing fingers of...

"Even after 64 years of freedom, voters haven't really known what democracy is all about. Their vote is nothing but an illusion," said RTI activist Bharatsinh Jhala, who flagged off a state-wide campaign 'Jago Yatra' for voters in the state. On Monday morning, Jhala accompanied by a few other activists, kicked off the mission to awaken voters of Gujarat. He said, "Today, voters don't have faith trust in any political party...

Two days after major opposition parties extended their support to the demand for a strong Lokpal (ombudsman) as proposed by the anti-graft crusader Anna Hazare during his one day fast at Jantar Mantar, Uttar Pradesh (UP) chief minister and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati also offered her conditional endorsement. Mayawati on Tuesday rejected the Parliamentary Standing committee's report on Lokpal bill. She described the Lokpal report drafted by the committee...

Here's the wonderful thing about the FDI-in-retail debate: never have struggling Indian farmers found so many champions. They've been crawling out of the woodwork. Foreign direct investment in retail may be on hold, but Hillary Clinton can stop worrying about Anand Sharma and Pranab Mukherjee. “How does (Commerce Minister) Sharma view India's current Foreign Direct Investment guidelines? Which sectors does he plan to open further? Why is he reluctant to open multi-brand...