The Jan Lokpal Bill, Anna Hazare, and Baba Ramdev II

Pranay · Post by **Pranay** » 07 Jul 2012 03:32

http://news.outlookindia.com/items.aspx?artid=767917

RTI activist and Team Anna member Akhil Gogoi has been attacked and critically injured by suspected youth Congress activists in Assam's Nalbari district today.

Gogoi, who had gone to Punni village in Dharmapur area of the district to take stock of the flood situation, was allegedly attacked with sticks and other sharp weapons, the the police said.

Gogoi filed an FIR at the Nalbari police station alleging that the attack was carried out by six youth Congress activists at the behest of Assam Agriculture and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Nilamani Sen Deka who represents Dharmapur assembly constituency.

Gogoi, who is also the Secretary General of Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS), received head injuries.

A profusely bleeding Gogoi was admitted to the Nalbari Civil Hospital in a critical condition.

vishvak · Post by **vishvak** » 07 Jul 2012 17:28

Pranay wrote:http://news.outlookindia.com/items.aspx?artid=767917

..
A profusely bleeding Gogoi was admitted to the Nalbari Civil Hospital in a critical condition.

Where are those who feign bleeding heart? The attack is clearly barbaric.

Those who feign bleeding hearts are clearly giving cover to bloodthirsty barbarians by selective heart bleeding.

Pranay · Post by **Pranay** » 08 Jul 2012 00:08

http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/team- ... herstories

Two days after refusing the nod for its protest in the capital, Delhi Police today granted permission to Team Anna to hold its indefinite fast from July 25 at Jantar Mantar. They have been allowed to hold protest rally till August 8.

Earlier, police had refused permission to hold an indefinite fast at Jantar Mantar, saying the protest timing coincides with the Monsoon Session of Parliament when other outfits will also have to be accommodated at the spot.

Makes me wonder about the muddle headed decision making process in this...

Pranay · Post by **Pranay** » 08 Jul 2012 20:30

http://outlookindia.com/article.aspx?281569

LETTER TO SONIA GANDHI
'The Government Is Not At All Serious About Issues Of Accountability And Corruption'
'Not passing the Whistleblower Protection Bill and the Grievance RedressBill on an urgent basis only conveys the [above] impression...'
ARUNA ROY

Sushupti · Post by **Sushupti** » 10 Jul 2012 18:46

Govt offers amnesty to 100 Swiss HSBC account holders

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/new ... 794814.cms

RamaY · Post by **RamaY** » 10 Jul 2012 19:01

^

So the nation doesn't even know who got amnesty. MMS' clean image == Clean the corruption clean.

Aaak thoo onleee.

Prem · Post by **Prem** » 11 Jul 2012 01:05

India Assesses Swiss Bank Accounts .
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142 ... 79386.html

NEW DELHI – India's tax department is looking at the Swiss bank accounts of about 700 Indian nationals, and will launch prosecution proceedings against them if it detects any tax evasion, a senior official said Tuesday. The finance ministry official rejected media reports that some of the 700 would be granted amnesty in exchange for information, saying the

Pranay · Post by **Pranay** » 16 Jul 2012 01:42

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city ... 967809.cms

Eight months after Delhi Police registered a case against Team Anna member and former IPS officer Kiran Bedi for allegedly misappropriating funds meant for her NGOs, the crime branch has not found "any evidence" of misappropriation by Bedi. Sources in crime branch said "they might soon file a closure report in the case".

"We have examined all the documents related to donations of Rs 50 lakh by Microsoft to her NGO. The money was part of donation and there is no evidence to show that she siphoned off money for personal benefits," said a source.

Delhi Police had registered a case against Bedi following court's order on the complaint of a Delhi-based lawyer Devinder Singh Chauhan. Chauhan had alleged that Bedi had received donations of over Rs 50 lakh from Microsoft for imparting free computer training to the children and families of BSF, CISF, ITBP, CRPF personnel and other state police organizations through her trust 'India Vision Foundation' and 'Navjyoti Foundation'. Bedi had been booked under sections 420 (cheating), 406 (criminal breach of trust) and 120 B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC in November last year.

The crime branch looked at the payments receipts and records of Bedi's NGOs. They also questioned officials from Microsoft and Vedanta Foundation. "It was alleged that Bedi got permission of four community centres by a misleading undertaking that she would not charge any fee from students, but she was charging Rs 15,000 per student," said an officer. "There were further allegations that she misused the names of various government organizations, including banks, listing them as donors to get more donations and her NGOs received Rs 6,000 per month for each centre from Vedanta Foundation for facilities such as land and electricity. These allegations could not be proved and officials of Microsoft have not given any adverse statement against Kiran Bedi," he said.

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 18 Jul 2012 03:08

Can Kiran Bedi sue that D S Chauhan guy for defamation and false complaints?

And will Bar Council of India revoke his licence to practice for making false complaints?

Pranay · Post by **Pranay** » 18 Jul 2012 04:33

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/indi ... 024531.cms

Yoga guru Baba Ramdev and social activist Anna Hazare on Tuesday vowed to continue their fight against corruption till their demands are met.

Hazare said their August 9 agitation in Delhi would coincide with August Kranti Din, the day when the Quit India movement was launched in 1942.

"Prior to this, a movement against corruption will be launched in New Delhi on July 25," Hazare said at a joint presser. He said his team will not be influenced by promises anymore. "On the 12th day of our indefinite hunger strike in New Delhi last year, the Prime Minister had assured us (the team) that it was willing to consider three of our demands. A resolution was passed in Parliament on our demands. However, the government backtracked and instead accused us of misleading the people," Hazare said.

"Either there will be a Jan Lokpal or we will sacrifice (our lives). There are hundreds of people who die of heart attacks. It will be my good fortune (saubhagya) if I sacrifice my life in the fight against corruption."

Vikas · Post by **Vikas** » 18 Jul 2012 12:43

ramana wrote:Can Kiran Bedi sue that D S Chauhan guy for defamation and false complaints?

And will Bar Council of India revoke his licence to practice for making false complaints?

Ramana ji, You can't punish the complainant if the complaint turns out to be incorrect. KB can sue this guy to whatever she wants but Bar council should not punch someone even if the complaint is malicious in nature. Part of the deal that we get owing to living in an open and free society.
IMO.

Pranav · Post by **Pranav** » 24 Jul 2012 19:47

Should Team Anna be taken seriously? - http://www.ndtv.com/video/player/india- ... ostpopular

Nice discussion with Kejriwal, Swapan, Salve and a Congie dude.

Pranav · Post by **Pranav** » 25 Jul 2012 12:11

Live from Jantar Mantar - http://www.iaclive.com/liveEvent.html

Pranav · Post by **Pranav** » 25 Jul 2012 19:10

Pranav wrote:Live from Jantar Mantar - http://www.iaclive.com/liveEvent.html

Alternate link - http://www.granslive.com/channel/iaclive (link to live stream is at the bottom of that page)

Public response is quite positive.

Pranav · Post by **Pranav** » 26 Jul 2012 13:44

James B · Post by **James B** » 26 Jul 2012 15:21

This speech is even more compelling

Pranav · Post by **Pranav** » 26 Jul 2012 19:54

James B wrote:This speech is even more compelling

The speeches are good but the weak point of the movement is lack of clarity about a reasonable and realistic way to take things forward.

sampat · Post by **sampat** » 27 Jul 2012 19:35

Another live from Jantar mantar link

http://www.youtube.com/abpnewstv

Aditya_V · Post by **Aditya_V** » 27 Jul 2012 19:39

Pranay wrote:http://outlookindia.com/article.aspx?281569

LETTER TO SONIA GANDHI
'The Government Is Not At All Serious About Issues Of Accountability And Corruption'
'Not passing the Whistleblower Protection Bill and the Grievance RedressBill on an urgent basis only conveys the [above] impression...'
ARUNA ROY

Being part of NAC she is part of power structure but refuses to take responsibility- how convienient

chaanakya · Post by **chaanakya** » 27 Jul 2012 20:47

Pranav wrote:
Pranav wrote:Live from Jantar Mantar - http://www.iaclive.com/liveEvent.html
Alternate link - http://www.granslive.com/channel/iaclive (link to live stream is at the bottom of that page)

Public response is quite positive.

Baba came , crowd came. Baba left Crowd vanished.

Quite difficult for Anna Movement.

That shows common Indians (read non psec ) find echo in words of Baba and not so much in Anna who appears to be Media or Congi creation to safeguard 2014.

Could he be poison pill?

After all, when his lokpal movement appeared, series of Scams and black-money were plaguing Congoons and he provided much needed relief to them. These issues were pushed to back-burner and lokpal became issue.

One should not forget that it was Onion that took shining off the India Shining Campaign of NDA in 2004.

I think Anna must introspect to resonate with Indian concerns. We have a long way to go.

nakul · Post by **nakul** » 27 Jul 2012 20:51

I believe that Anna's movement has been compromised on many fronts:

1) Changing of Bharat Mata's banner to Mahatma Gandhi

2) Using divisive politics (Dalit & Muslim girls) to break the fast

3) Swami Agnivesh's loyalty to Kapil Sibal

4) A Muslim member who was thrown out when he was found recording the proceedings of a meeting.

There might be more that have not been found/exposed yet. This might probably explain the government's heavy handedness towards Baba Ramdev as compared to Anna Hazare.

Pranay · Post by **Pranay** » 28 Jul 2012 17:56

http://www.firstpost.com/politics/team- ... 94498.html

A compelling write-up... thereby posting in full...

Feminist activist and writer Gloria Steinem once observed that the pedestal, on which we tend to hoist our heroes before knocking them off it, is as much a prison as any small and confined space. In that sense, it’s probably half-true that Team Anna, yesterday’s anti-corruption heroes who are now being mercilessly knocked off the pedestal and subjected to savage criticism, have just been liberated from their ‘prison’.

Barely a year ago, Team Anna could do no wrong. So palpable was the sense of widespread revulsion over the monumental corruption scandals that had the country in its grip, that we anointed Anna our Gandhi-capped crusader against political corruption. Much of the media, except for stray cynical voices, amplified Team Anna’s voice and sang paeans to them. Even when they were not doing it out of personal conviction, they felt compelled to tap into the popular yearning for a ‘hero’ who would harness the widespread angst and hold politicians and bureaucrats accountable.

Knocking Team Anna off the pedestal doesn’t advance the cause of fighting corruption. PTI
Today, barely a year later, it appears that Team Anna can do no right. With the same fickleness of mind with which we valorise our sporting heroes when they’re on a winning streak and pile on them like a ton of bricks when they falter even momentarily, media commentators – and much of the lay public as well – are now writing obituaries to Team Anna’s anti-corruption movement.

Suddenly, it appears, Team Anna’s many faults have become blindingly apparent: they are arrogant, too preachy, too inflexible, too shrill, too unnuanced in their sab-chor-hain criticism of politicians. Even their kindest critics want Team Anna to fold up its tent and disappear into the rural hinterland – where they can, as Mani Shankar Aiyar put it crudely last year (here), “go back to flogging drunkards.”

What’s lost in all this gratuitous rubbishing of Team Anna is a perspective on the larger picture of how we got here – and, more important, of what the way ahead is if Team Anna were to be driven away. Will we, for instance, have a better instrumentality to deal with the mega-scandals that drove us to embrace the demand for a strong and independent anti-corruption agency? Has anything that the political establishment, and the UPA government, done in the past year elevated our faith that our leaders are earnest about combating political corruption?

The movement against corruption was (and remains) a struggle against formidable odds, in which Team Anna was (and is) merely the momentary vehicle that channelled the widespread revulsion. By speaking out publicly and forthrightly against corruption, they were effectively taking on strong and entrenched forces that have a stake in the perpetuation of the system and who are unafraid to fight dirty. Absolute power vests in these forces, not in Team Anna or his band of followers. Which is why in the year gone by, we’ve heard a lot of hot air from politicians about bringing forward a strong Lokpal Bill, but in the end we have only a watered-down version of a Bill that, even if it becomes law, will not make the slightest dent on corruption.

It is this that the excessive and disproportionate criticism of Team Anna misses. Team Anna may not have been without faults, and the vision that they offered – of a corruption-free India when the Jan Lokpal is institutionalised – may have been utopian. But their failings are minuscule compared to the failure of the political establishment over the past year to show even the feeblest progress in changing the rules of the game for the better.

As columnist Pratap Bhanu Mehta observes in a powerful commentary in the Indian Express (here), “in the year since the (anti-corruption) movement began, the political establishment has been close to shameless in using the weaknesses of the movement to avoid confronting some basic issues.” And while Team Anna may be rightly faulted for perpetuating the sab-chor-hain mentality and for gross disrespect to democratic institutions, the other side isn’t entirely innocent, he points out. There is no effort at a minimal clean-up job, and in fact “power brokers” have been elevated to higher stations in life. And as for the institutions, they have not exactly commanded the respect they demand of their critics.

And if Team Anna is guilty of playing the holier-than-thou “politics of virtue”, so is the Congress, which uses the Prime Minister’s personal incorruptibility as a shield to deflect criticism of his government’s ducking of institutional responsibilities.

Mehta writes: “The imperiousness with which the top leadership — the Congress president and general secretary and the prime minister — has hidden behind a cloak of virtue, avoiding a political confrontation with the problem, is breathtaking.” It isn’t easy for anyone to take on the state, which comes after its critics with full might, sometimes bordering on thuggishness. “If nothing else, the Anna movement is trying to do something that is easier said than done: take on the state,” he adds.

Which is why all this public evisceration of Team Anna, and the commentaries picking on its minuscule failings, while remaining silent to the far graver failings of the political establishment to change its corrupt ways, is patently absurd. It represents an inadequate understanding of the fact that the corruption that wracks our political system is the bigger evil.

It’s easy to drive Team Anna back into the wilderness: we may already have achieved it by knocking them off the pedestal and amplifying their failures. But if we reckon that the corrupt system, which Team Anna was challenging, will correct itself after we’ve sent Anna packing to Ralegaon Siddhi, we may be in for a kick in the teeth.

As Selina Kyle, the Catwoman in The Dark Knight Rises, says: There’s a storm coming… You and your friends better batten down the hatches.

Pranay · Post by **Pranay** » 28 Jul 2012 18:10

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYucmNLB ... e=youtu.be

Yogendra Yadav at Jantar Mantar... good one!

Pranay · Post by **Pranay** » 28 Jul 2012 22:38

http://www.ndtv.com/video/player/news/n ... eststories

The Anna Hazare interview...

kshatriya · Post by **kshatriya** » 30 Jul 2012 11:51

http://www.rediff.com/news/slide-show/s ... 120729.htm

Team Anna attacks Ramdev, calls Modi murderer of humanity

Anna Hazare on Sunday joined his three close aides in their indefinite fast while his team attacked yoga guru Ramdev for sharing dais with Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, describing the Bharatiya Janata Party leader as a "murderer of humanity".

As Hazare stepped in with his fast on a Sunday, crowds swelled to 9,000 to 10,000 people at Jantar Mantar where he announced a "fast till we get Jan Lokpal Bill", ignoring appeals from his close aides and supporters not to sit on hunger strike.

Crowds poured into the venue throughout the day with activist Arvind Kejriwal, who is fasting for the fifth day, urging college students to bunk classes next week for the sake of the country while another member Kumar Vishwas coming out with a slogan "next week, for country's sake".

The day also saw Team Anna appearing to distance itself from Ramdev who shared dais with Modi, describing the BJP leader as a "murderer of humanity".

"We were never in agreement with Modi. We are not in agreement with Modi now also. Narendra Modi is a murderer of humanity. It is for Ramdev to clarify on the issue," Singh, who was conducting the proceedings at the Hazare fast venue here, told reporters.

Hazare and Ramdev had earlier announced that both their campaigns will support each other and the yoga guru had addressed the Team Anna protest on Friday.

In Ahmedabad, Ramdev gave a clean chit to Modi on corruption issues, saying, "He has not done anything wrong".

Hazare had last year courted controversy after praising Modi, remarks which were later clarified as commending his initiatives for rural development. A section in Team Anna is against association with Ramdev.

The 74-year-old activist reached Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on Sunday morning to slogans of 'Bharat Mata ki Jai', 'Vande Mataram' and 'Inquilab Zindabad'.

"My team had told me not to fast citing health reasons.

When over 400 people are on fast, I cannot ignore them and not be on fast. Yesterday, my team appealed to me not to fast but I am sitting on fast from now. I consider I have your permission," Hazare said addressing the gathering.

His announcement led to some of his supporters who were fasting to come near the dais and appeal to him not to fast again, saying his life is valuable and his leadership is needed.

Pranav · Post by **Pranav** » 30 Jul 2012 12:07

kshatriya wrote:http://www.rediff.com/news/slide-show/s ... 120729.htm

Team Anna attacks Ramdev, calls Modi murderer of humanity

Need to be careful ... Team Anna is riddled with moles. Was this statement approved by the Team's core committee?

Aditya_V · Post by **Aditya_V** » 30 Jul 2012 12:08

I think Anna movement is good, it is showing the Candle Kissing crowd that there is no alternative to voting out the INC, candle Kissing is not going these guys to change.

Sushupti · Post by **Sushupti** » 30 Jul 2012 14:06

whenever dynasty and gobermint is in tight spot this Anna circus starts.

Pranav · Post by **Pranav** » 30 Jul 2012 18:49

Sushupti wrote:whenever dynasty and gobermint is in tight spot this Anna circus starts.

Whether that is or is not true, the cause is undeniably a necessity. If BJP wants to tap the anger against corruption they have option to implement credible Lok Ayukta in their states.

nakul · Post by **nakul** » 30 Jul 2012 19:03

Anna will only losen dynasty's hold on power. Whether less congis go to jail or more, India will benefit from a weakening congress. Therein lies Anna's selfless service to the nation.

vijayk · Post by **vijayk** » 30 Jul 2012 20:01

http://www.firstpost.com/politics/exclu ... 96952.html

Anna’s party to be called Swaraj or India Against Corruption

After Anna Hazare‘s statement last week that he might consider forming a political party, Team Anna may now be days away from annoucing the formation of one. If the government does not create a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the corruption charges against 14 UPA ministers and deliver a strong Lokpal Bill, the social activist and his team are likely to call off their ongoing agitation in Delhi with the announcement of a new political party.

This time we are not waiting to hear from the government. We will give people of the country a political alternative,” said a Team Anna member privy to the development.

This probably is their way to split all anti-CONgress votes to get the UPA back in power. This will divert all middle class voters from BJP to these guys who can't win any seat just like LokSatta in AP.

nakul · Post by **nakul** » 30 Jul 2012 20:03

vijayk wrote: This probably is their way to split all anti-CONgress votes to get the UPA back in power. This will divert all middle class voters from BJP to these guys who can't win any seat just like LokSatta in AP.

What stops them from allying with BJP to form a more powerful anti Congress block?

People said that MNS was used to split the Shiv Sena vote. That held true only till MNS did not ally with SS.

Sushupti · Post by **Sushupti** » 30 Jul 2012 20:57

Team Anna nahin Aandhi hai , Doosri Soniya Gandhi hai

fanne · Post by **fanne** » 30 Jul 2012 21:08

So as we suspected Anna is cong plan to win 2014. I don’t suspect Anna himself is a sellout (but maybe too ideological or thick to see it). His team members from Sonia's NAC are a dead giveaway of who is calling the shot and to what end. Probably they need 2 years or so to be credible and hence now. Moreover, maybe they are also to hurt Modi (through EVM magic or otherwise), in Gujarat election, so this is the right time!!
rgds,
fanne

pentaiah · Post by **pentaiah** » 31 Jul 2012 00:16

Some people here somehow think BJP is pristine white and better than congress. I thought BRF readers and posters are smart enough to see through the fickle rudderless and equally corrupt BJP.

Go back to Rahul Mehta posts about LK, PM ( Pramod Mahajan), Sadhvi, anti Sadhvi, Jaswant anti Jaswant, Sinha anti Sinha.... etc
The strong thing about congress is that they are perfect crooks who will not let go of their grip in power, their bonding in crime is only bettered in the rallying round anything that gets them to power.

For all practical purposes BJP is cooked for good. Oh by the way I forgot the sniping between NaMo and Nitish thats another side show..

Virupaksha · Post by **Virupaksha** » 31 Jul 2012 01:01

In the land of the blind, the one eyed is king. I personally look for who is good between INC and BJP. In my personal opinion, BJP is much much better than INC.

Unfortunately what you say is an apology for INC. Basically do nothing until an avatar comes along and saves us. I prefer to go with small improvements rather than lying in the mud, wallowing in self pity and not even making an effort to cleanse mud off the parts which I can.

Sushupti · Post by **Sushupti** » 31 Jul 2012 02:00

Virupaksha wrote:In the land of the blind, the one eyed is king. I personally look for who is good between INC and BJP. In my personal opinion, BJP is much much better than INC.

Unfortunately what you say is an apology for INC. Basically do nothing until an avatar comes along and saves us. I prefer to go with small improvements rather than lying in the mud, wallowing in self pity and not even making an effort to cleanse mud off the parts which I can.

Hell no avatar, 100 lashes for communal talk. It must be Messiah. Real question is how many times, these apologists for con, baptize their kids in swimming pool?.

vijayk · Post by **vijayk** » 31 Jul 2012 02:10

nakul wrote:
vijayk wrote: This probably is their way to split all anti-CONgress votes to get the UPA back in power. This will divert all middle class voters from BJP to these guys who can't win any seat just like LokSatta in AP.

What stops them from allying with BJP to form a more powerful anti Congress block?

People said that MNS was used to split the Shiv Sena vote. That held true only till MNS did not ally with SS.

Are you kidding me? These guys were wetting their pants whenever some useless minority leader accuses them of communalism because they played Vande mataram or had Bharat mata picture. Kejriwal and all those folks are thoroughly NAC types who give a damn about nation.

nakul · Post by **nakul** » 31 Jul 2012 02:19

vijayk wrote: Are you kidding me? These guys were wetting their pants whenever some useless minority leader accuses them of communalism because they played Vande mataram or had Bharat mata picture. Kejriwal and all those folks are thoroughly NAC types who give a damn about nation.

They don't need to pander to pseudo secularism if they get power. Soon they will get tired of fasting & realize that the only way forward is to step into the corridors of power. BJP offers them a stepping stone. They would be shooting themselves in the foot if they don't use it to their advantage. 2014 is their best chance, hopefully Anna is more sensible than we give him credit for.

Muppalla · Post by **Muppalla** » 31 Jul 2012 08:23

Pranav wrote:
kshatriya wrote:http://www.rediff.com/news/slide-show/s ... 120729.htm

Team Anna attacks Ramdev, calls Modi murderer of humanity
Need to be careful ... Team Anna is riddled with moles. Was this statement approved by the Team's core committee?

What core committee? Too much delusions on this forum even by well read folks.Starting from Anna everyone in that team is a mole. It is pure and simple dirt of India to help congress party in the name of anti-corruption. Period. I am totally convinced.