In the past, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee had maintained “there are no Maoists in West Bengal” and that the situation in Jangalmahal region in the State was the result of “infighting among the Marxists,” but the Chief Minister on Saturday lashed out at the rebels, without naming them outright, labelling them “supari killers,” “jungle mafia” and “cowardly goons hiding in the forests.” A little over a year ago, at a...

Anna Hazare's campaign may lead to a new Lokpal Bill, but it has legitimised middle-class vigilantism and other kinds of civil society mobilisation. NOW that Anna Hazare has declared victory, it is time to take stock of one of the most powerful recent mobilisations of people in India, focussed on influencing policy or lawmaking processes. The victory, however, is largely symbolic. The original demand of the movement, carefully built around Hazare's...

-PTI   Many swear by him, several scoff at him. Like him or hate him, but he can't be ignored. As the anti-corruption stir intensifies, media and advertising experts say brand 'Anna' has overtaken all the other labels in India in different walks of life for the moment. As Anna Hazare's fast entered the tenth day today, branding experts said 'Annaism' is becoming a phrase and concept that other brands will soon want...

While his means maybe Gandhian, his demands are certainly not. If what we're watching on TV is indeed a revolution, then it has to be one of the more embarrassing and unintelligible ones of recent times. For now, whatever questions you may have about the Jan Lokpal Bill, here are the answers you're likely to get: tick the box — (a) Vande Mataram (b) Bharat Mata ki Jai (c) India is...

-AFP   Booker prize-winning author Arundhati Roy launched a scathing attack on Monday on the "aggressive Nationalism" behind the anti-corruption drive led by hunger-striking campaigner Anna Hazare. In a column entitled "I'd rather not be Anna" published in The Hindu newspaper, the novelist, essayist and rights activist condemned both the style and substance of Hazare's campaign that has mobilised public opinion in India. In particular she questioned Hazare's use of the hunger strike and...