-The Hindu   The U.S. has said it is monitoring the events related with Anna Hazare, and is confident that India would be able to address the challenge within democratic means. State Department spokesperson, Victoria Nuland, said the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi was monitoring the situation there. “Our Embassy has been monitoring the situation, and I think they have been saying the same thing in Delhi that we’ve been saying here with regard...

-The Hindustan Times   Dalits, backward castes and minorities  came together against Team Anna’s Jan lokpal bill on Wednesday. They held a rally from India Gate that grid-locked peak hour traffic, proposing a Bahujan lokpal bill. “We will draft the Bahujan lokpal bill within two to three days and submit it to the Parliamentary standing committee,” Udit Raj, chairman of the All-India Confederation of SC/ST Organisations, said. “We want our representative in the...

The Anna Hazare fast has seen an outpouring of support across the country. The government lokpal bill is unacceptable. A fresh Bill is needed for an effective Lokpal. There has been an outpouring of support all over the country in favour of the fast conducted by Anna Hazare for the Jan lokpal bill. The agitation has found support predominantly from the urban middle classes and a substantial section of youth belonging...

In the unseen and unheard margins of Team Anna’s Ramlila Surge, there’s a growing sense of disquiet —especially among minority and marginalised groups. Despite carefully choreographed images of Muslim children publicly breaking their Ramzaan fast with Anna Hazare, prominent Dalit, Muslim and Christian leaders are deeply suspicious of the faces on display and the voices emanating from the crowds. They argue that Anna’s ends — fighting corruption — is undoubtedly justified, they...

-The Hindu   Following is the note placed by the CPI(M) at the all-party meeting held by the Government on the issue of the Lokpal today. August 24, 2011 Stand of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) Lokpal: For An Effective Anti-Corruption Body Introduction Corruption has become a major public concern in the wake of successive scams unfolding over the past few years. In a country like India, where millions of people still suffer from acute poverty,...