-The Times of India   It's welcome that Political Parties across the board have evolved a broad consensus on some key elements of the contentious Lokpal Bill. Big strides have been taken in the process of framing a cogent anti-corruption legislation. After months of acrimony, the majority of Political Parties have come around to endorsing two of Team Anna's salient recommendations: placing the prime minister as well as the lower bureaucracy under...

-The Indian Express   The entire spectrum of opinion on the Lokpal bill was on display at the all-party meeting on the issue. Meanwhile, Anna Hazare and his comrades promise another round of agitation, an indefinite fast, a jail bharo campaign and protest outside the homes of Congress leaders, if the bill is not cleared in this parliamentary session, and insist that the session be extended until it is passed. So far, the...

-The Hindu   The Union Cabinet is likely to meet either on December 18 or 19 after the return of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh from Russia to take a call on the contentious issues related to the Lokpal Bill on the basis of inputs given by the Parliamentary Standing Committee and the all-party meet on Wednesday night. According to Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal, the government intends to move the Bill in...

Dalit Political Parties irked by Centre's unwillingness to allocate the entire 12.5-acre India United Mill plot for the proposed Dr BR Ambedkar memorial stepped up agitations across the city on Thursday. Hundreds of activists of Republican Party of India (Athavale) teamed up with another Dalit outfit, the Republican Sena and staged a blockade on the Eastern Express Highway, throwing traffic out of gear. The protesters burnt effigies of Prime Minister...

Expressing concern over the agrarian crisis leading to farmers' suicides in the country, Rajya Sabha members on Thursday sought a special seven-day session to discuss the issue in depth. Initiating a short-duration discussion on the agrarian crisis, BJP leader M. Venkaiah Naidu sought the special session to discuss the situation and find solutions. Mr. Naidu said that while the economy was growing at 7-8 percent, the farm growth was only around...