After raising the issue of nepotism in the newly-appointed joint committee on lokpal Bill, yoga guru Baba Ramdev on Sunday backtracked saying that he had no problem with inclusion of father-son duo Shanti and Prashant Bhushan in the drafting panel. "The question of nepotism was raised by the media and not me. When I was asked about it, I said that though we have played a role in the Jan lokpal...

Rejecting allegations of nepotism in selecting the five civil society members on the joint drafting panel of the lokpal Bill, social activist Anna Hazare on Sunday said they needed experienced people and law experts to draft a stringent anti-corruption law. "The committee is not permanent, it has been formed only for two months and we should not think that he or she is there or not there. We need experienced people...

If any citizen or a group of citizens is dissatisfied and wants to change economic, social policies, they are free to contest polls and take charge. To bypass this process is illegitimate if not downright illegal Finally Anna Hazare and his cohort have prevailed over the government. They have managed a position of equals on the committee that will draft the lokpal Bill. This is not an unprecedented situation. There have...

In the backdrop of the controversy over the father-son duo being part of the lokpal drafting committee, noted lawyer Shanti Bhushan said his son Prashant had raised the issue of their inclusion with Anna Hazare but the Gandhian overruled the objection. "Prashant had himself raised the issue with Anna Hazare as to why you are keeping both of us in that committee. You, instead of myself, include others and he (Prashant) had...

It can seek the resignation of Constitutional authorities Areas of disagreement surface The Congress sees as a “super” government the institution of the lokpal as proposed in the draft Jan lokpal Bill — it would virtually run a parallel government. It will be a “demi-God” with supreme powers to run the government, sources within the Congress party feel. It can seek the resignation of the Prime Minister, the Chief Justice of India and...