Anna Hazare's so-called "second freedom struggle" raises questions, one, about how long the protests can be sustained, and, two, on the merits of the protesters' demands and methods. But before that, Team Anna should be given credit for reviving long-somnolent mass politics in this country, something beyond the Opposition that has been reduced to activism on the idiot box. It shows how much anti-government political space had been abandoned by the...

-The Indian Express   Terming the Centre's assurance of keeping madrasas out of the ambit of Right to Education as misleading, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) has announced to continue with its campaign against inclusion of maDarsas in the Act. "The government recently gave a statement that maDarsas and other religious institutions will not be covered under RTE Act which is misleading," members of AIMPLB Zafaryab Jilani said. He said that...

-The Indian Express   Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan today said suspended work of the contentious closed water pipeline project at Maval, which led to a violent protest recently, would not be recommenced till the "misgivings" of the affected farmers were removed. "Nothing will be done by keeping people in the Dark. This applies to all projects including Jaitapur (nuclear power plant)," he told reporters after visiting the injured agitators in a hospital...

Beware of what you put in your Facebook messages or your tweets. Your friends and followers may not be the only ones reading them. Chances are government sleuths would be vetting these private messages. This follows a home ministry directive to the department of telecom, asking it to "ensure effective monitoring of Twitter and Facebook". While "effective monitoring" has not been defined, sources said the MHA's intention is complete surveillance of...

-IANS   Gandhian Anna Hazare has appealed to the nation to turn off the lights for an hour on August 15 in a gesture meant to give momentum to their indefinite hunger strike from the next day. Team Hazare has been granted a spot adjacent to the Firoz Shah Kotla Ground in the capital to hold its protest from August 16. "On Aug 15, at 7 pm, Anna will appeal to the nation...