-The Hindustan Times   The government on Monday said activist Anna Hazare’s demand for the rights to reject and recall elected representatives would be discussed soon at an all-party meeting on Electoral reforms. Law minister Salman Khurshid said though chief election commissioner SY Quraishi had said these rights would destabilise the country, the government “will be happy to put it up for all-party consultations.” But he said, “We have a very strong lobby that...

-One World South Asia The recent report on paid news by Press Council of India recommends that representation of the People Act, 1951, should be amended to make the practice of paid news a punishable Electoral malpractice. The Report defines paid news as Any news or analysis appearing in any media (Print & Electronic) for a price in cash or kind as consideration. The Report records that “Sections of the media in India...

-The Hindu   The Group of Ministers (GoM) meant to consider measures to tackle corruption has directed the Ministry of Law to formulate concrete proposals on Constitutional and statutory amendments needed to consider feasibility of State funding of elections. The GoM headed by Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee is mandated to look at a range of policy initiatives and action required to address corruption. In its first report in September, the GoM had...

-PTI Amid a demand by Team Anna for radical poll reforms, Chief Election Commissioner S.Y. Quraishi says he is not in favour of ‘Right to Recall' or ‘Right to Reject' elected representatives, warning that any such Electoral rule will “destabilise” the country. Opposing any move to have a ‘Right to Recall' as in many developed countries, Mr. Quraishi said it may not work in India given the size of the country. “It's not...

-The Indian Express   After the Supreme Court lawyer and leading light of Anna Hazare’s agitation, Prashant Bhushan, was attacked in public view by thuggish “patriots” for his support of a plebiscite in Kashmir, one would have expected some solidarity from his teammates. Or at least common human sympathy, expressed even by those who have deep and running disagreements with Bhushan. But Anna Hazare offered lukewarm consolation about how it was “wrong...