Anna Hazare's followers have made it clear that political leaders are not welcomed to join the anti-corruption campaign launched by the veteran social Activist and Gandhian. Hazare's supporters stopped two political leaders - Uma Bharti and Om Prakash Chautala - from entering the dharna venue at New Delhi's Janatar Mantar on Wednesday. Both Uma Bharti and Chautala, who had come to meet Hazare, were heckled and forced to leave the area.   Hazare,...

Veteran Activist Anna Hazare's fast-unto-death gathered steam on its second day as he pressed for a stronger anti-graft Lok Pal Bill through greater involvement of civil society - a protest he has dubbed as the second Satyagraha. Hazare wants equal representation from civil society in drafting the Lok Pal Bill. The debate on some of the proposals put forward by both Hazare and the government on the contentious bill that has been...

As noted social Activist Anna Hazare started his fast-unto-death in the national capital, there is a need to take a look at his draft Jan Lokpal bill and the government's Lokpal Bill. The government proposes to set up Lokpal to check corruption at high places and salvage its image. But there are stark differences between the government's version of the Lokpal Bill and the civil society's. The government Bill, actually, seems to...

Anna Hazare’s fast puts into focus the government’s attempts to protect politicians India Against Corruption, a group formed by Anna Hazare and other social Activists and former judges, has given 17 reasons why the Jan Lokpal Bill drafted by former Supreme Court judge Santosh Hegde, now the Karnataka Lokayukta, is far better than the Bill prepared by the union government. The Jan Lokpal Bill, hailed as a civil society initiative, provides for...

Right to Information Act (RTI) Activists have planned a state-wide agitation to protest against the politicisation of the State Information Commission. A meeting of RTI Activists held in the city on Sunday had agreed on an action plan on this score. Accordingly, the Save RTI Campaign would begin with a state-wide rally to sensitise people. Activists have alleged politicians were treating the RTI as a government department dividing information commissioners’ positions...