Bathinda, January 28 (DNS)- During the assembly elections in five states, including Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Goa, Manipur and Uttrakhand, Anna Hazare factor will not work in any way, as Anna is now playing politics in place of waging a war against corruption. “This is the reason he is not getting much support these days from the people,” said Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) president Ram Vilas Paswan, while campaigning in favour of his party candidates at Balluana, Kotkapura, Kotshameer and Faridkot. LJP state president Kiranjit Singh Gehri, who is the LJP candidate from Bathinda (Rural) assembly constituency, also accompanied him.
Paswan further said that his party had some basic differences with Anna Hazare as Anna and his associates did not accept democratic process for getting the Lokpal Bill passed.
He said there was a Parliament to discuss and pass the Bill, but they were adamant to get their version of the Jan Lokpal Bill passed. He also termed Anna as a “puppet” of the RSS and the ... Read Full Story
New Delhi, June 8 (Agencies) As Gandhian Anna Hazare on Wednesday began a daylong token fast here to denounce the police crackdown on yoga guru Baba Ramdev's agitation, civil society activists accused the Congress-led government of trying to scuttle the anti-corruption campaign in the country.
In front of thousands of supporters at Rajghat, the memorial to Mahatma Gandhi, the 73-year-old called it "the second independence struggle".
"We have started the second independence struggle but you should not back off. We will be ready to die but we will not surrender," the Gandhian said, speaking in Hindi. He said if the anti-graft Lokpal Bill was not passed by the government, he would again launch an indefinite hunger strike from August 16, a day after India's independence day.
"They are putting roadblocks on the path of the Lokpal Bill," he said, and charged the government with trying to defame his associates, including Shanti Bhushan, Prashant Bhushan and Arvind Kejriwal. The Bhushans, Hazare, Kejriwal and Santosh Hegde form the civil society representatives in a 10-member panel, including five central ministers, to frame a tough Lokpal Bill.
With thousands shouting "Bharat Mata Ki Jai", singing a tuneful "Lokpal, Lokpal" and devotional songs and holding placards, Hazare got on to a raised platform and started his hunger strike at 10 a.m., his second in two months.
In a hard hitting speech, Kejriwal said, "We are not here to change the government, we want to change the system."
"Today we ask the ... Read Full Story
New Delhi, April 16 (Agencies) A day before the first meeting of the joint drafting committee for Lokpal Bill , civil society members of the panel released details of their assets. The five civil society members met on Friday to discuss the issues to be flagged in the first meeting.
Later, they released details of their financial assets at a press conference. Anna Hazare , whose fast-unto-death compelled the government to agree to a joint draft, declared a bank balance of Rs 67,188.36 and Rs 1,500 as money in hand. He has three tracts of land, all of which are being used by the village. Magsaysay award winner Arvind Kejriwal has assets worth Rs 56.30 lakh, including a home at Indirapuram, Ghaziabad.
Former law minister and cochair of the panel Shanti Bhushan declared he had earned over Rs 136 crore over the past 10 years. Though he declared eight immovable properties, unlike Kejriwal, he has not mentioned the financial worth of any of the properties. Shanti Bhushan has declared bonds, fixed deposits and mutual funds worth Rs 102 crore.
Like his father, son Prashant Bhushan has also declared four immovable assets without mentioning their worth. Prashant Bhushan has declared bonds and mutual funds worth Rs 1.45 crore and miscellaneous assets of Rs 60 lakh.
Karnataka Lokayukta Justice Santosh Hegde has declared a bank balance of close to Rs 32 lakh and a home worth Rs 1.5 crore in Richmond Town in ... Read Full Story
New Delhi, April 8 (Agencies)- The government will soon accept our demands and we will not bow before it, said fasting social activist Anna Hazare here Friday after some breakthrough in talks with the government over a stringent anti-graft law.
"We will not bow before the government ... we are ready for a sacrifice. The massive support that we have got from people has made the government realise the importance of the bill and soon they will accept our demand," Anna Hazare told reporters while his supporters shouted "Anna you fight, we are with you".
He has been sitting on fast-unto-death since April 5.
"We have been through three rounds of discussion with the government and we have got some success. The government has agreed to set up a joint drafting committee consisting of 50 percent members from civil society," he said.
"We were told that they don't have time till May as elections are on so drafting committee will be formed after that. We rejected it and now they have agreed that it will be formed immediately," he said.
On the demand for notification for setting up the joint committee, he said: "Government told us they will issue a letter from the law minister's office and we rejected that, saying it should be a government letter."
"We have also proposed that if they are having a chairman, a co-chairman should be appointed from our side. We have sent it to the government and a decision is expected," he added.
Anna Hazare said he would continue his fast for six more days and there is nothing to ... Read Full Story
New Delhi, June 8 (Agencies) As Gandhian Anna Hazare on Wednesday began a daylong token fast here to denounce the police crackdown on yoga guru Baba Ramdev's agitation, civil society activists accused the Congress-led government of trying to scuttle the anti-corruption campaign in the country.
In front of thousands of supporters at Rajghat, the memorial to Mahatma Gandhi, the 73-year-old called it "the second independence struggle".
"We have started the second independence struggle but you should not back off. We will be ready to die but we will not surrender," the Gandhian said, speaking in Hindi. He said if the anti-graft Lokpal Bill was not passed by the government, he would again launch an indefinite hunger strike from August 16, a day after India's independence day.
"They are putting roadblocks on the path of the Lokpal Bill," he said, and charged the government with trying to defame his associates, including Shanti Bhushan, Prashant Bhushan and Arvind Kejriwal. The Bhushans, Hazare, Kejriwal and Santosh Hegde form the civil society representatives in a 10-member panel, including five central ministers, to frame a tough Lokpal Bill.
With thousands shouting "Bharat Mata Ki Jai", singing a tuneful "Lokpal, Lokpal" and devotional songs and holding placards, Hazare got on to a raised platform and started his hunger strike at 10 a.m., his second in two months.
In a hard hitting speech, Kejriwal said, "We are not here to change the government, we want to change the system."
"Today we ask the ...
