-The Hindu   In a volte-face that has created ripples in political circles here, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday said it is now a “proven” fact that it was the Maoists who were responsible for the Jnaneswari Express sabotage. She had earlier accused the Communist Party of India (Marxist) of being behind the derailment of the train in Paschim Medinipur district on May 28, 2010, in which nearly 150 people were...

But existing campaign should be built around land, water, forests: activist P.V. Rajagopal Narmada Bachao Andolan leader and Team Anna core committee member Medha Patkar on Tuesday said there was no move to start a parallel anti-corruption movement. She was reacting to a news story inThe Hindu quoting renowned water conservationist Rajendra Singh about the possibility of a new anti-corruption group emerging, following a meeting of water sector workers at the Gandhi...

-Express News Service   At a time parties are busy holding “yatras” to seek votes in the coming Assembly election, Gorakhpur doctor R N Singh began a “yatra” of a different kind in eastern UP on Monday to spread awareness about preventive measures against encephalitis and mobilise public opinion for making it an election issue. Dr Singh has been working for eradication of encephalitis — which kills hundreds of children every year -...

In this Idea Exchange moderated by Senior Editor Archna Shukla, I&B minister Ambika Soni speaks about self-regulation by the media, empowering the Press Council of India and the Congress party’s stand on corruption Archna Shukla: There is a growing perception that the government is unhappy with media criticism. The editor of a leading English daily publicly claimed that government advertisements have been stopped to his publication. Is the government being vindictive? I have...

Many people including members of Team Anna have expressed reservations about the way in which their campaign has been developing, and some have even resigned. This raises questions about the real aim of the leadership around Anna. Is it really what it is proclaimed to be? Is the aim to get the Jan Lokpal Bill passed by parliament? Team Anna has repeatedly stated that they have just a one-point agenda: to get...