Digvijay: Kejriwal amassed crores for his NGO

Taking potshots at Team Anna member Arvind Kejriwal, Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh on Sunday accused him of amassing crores of rupees for his NGO.

The Congress general secretary in charge of Uttar Pradesh said at Azamgarh that the Income Tax department had served notice to Kejriwal way back in 2005.

Singh charged the former bureaucrat with not only flouting government service rules but also being involved in politics and collecting "crores" through his NGO.

Singh also drew a line between Yoga Guru Ramdev and Gandhian Anna Hazare, both of whom are engaged in anti-corruption campaigns.

"While Ramdev is a thug (cheat), Hazare is a social worker and that is why the government acted on his demands," Singh said.

Strongly reacting to Digvijay’s accusations, Kejriwal asked the Congress leader to have an FIR lodged against him if he felt so instead of making "irresponsible statements".

"If Digvijay Singh feels I have swindled crores, why doesn't his government register FIR against me and take legal action rather than making irresponsible statements," Kejriwal said.

‘Arvind Kejriwal still govt servant; has Rs 9L dues’

Just before Anna Hazare took on the government by going on a fast over the Lokpal Bill, the Income Tax department had slapped a notice on his key associate Arvind Kejriwal over unpaid dues amounting to over Rs 9 lakhs.

Kejriwal who joined Indian Revenue Service in 1995 and worked as Additional Commissioner of Income Tax in Delhi had resigned from service in February 2006, but Income Tax Department says his resignation can't be accepted till he clears all the dues.

Prior to tendering his resignation, Kejriwal had in year 2000 took academic leave of two years.

As per the I-T department he is still a government servant as after being on study leave from November 01, 2000-October 31, 2002, did not return to government service  rules mandate a three year bond after study leave. Thus he owes the department two years’ salary amounting to Rs 3.5 lakhs and an additional 4.16 lakh as interest on that amount.

Besides the salary dues, the social activist had also taken a computer loan of Rs 50,000, which he is yet to repay the interest accumulated on this sum amounts to Rs 1 lakh.

Kejriwal replied to the notice by asserting that he took study leave from 2000 till October 2002 and resumed duty in November 01, 2002. Kejriwal also said that he completed three years in October 1, 2005 and resigned only in February 2006.

The noted RTI activist denied that he had violated any norms, while questioning the timing of the notice.

Kejriwal has announced that he will hold a press conference today evening over the issue.

Free medical treatment for Anna

Activist Anna Hazare was not billed for his four-day medical treatment at a Gurgaon hospital, an aide said on Thursday.

Hazare was admitted to the Medanta Medicity hospital Sunday morning shortly after he broke his 288-hour fast following members from both houses of parliament agreeing to proposed changes in the anti-corruption Lokpal Bill.

"He (Hazare) was not charged for his treatment at Medanta Medicity. He is totally fine now," a member from India Against Corruption, which backs Hazare, told a news agency.

Hundreds of Hazare's supporters had offered to pay his bills on Wednesday.

Hazare was under the medical supervision of cardiologist Naresh Trehan.

Hazare reached his village Ralegan Siddhi in Maharashtra early Thursday after being discharged Wednesday.

Ganesh Utsav begins with 'Anna' chant

Maharashtra’s illustrious son has overshadowed the state's favourite festival, the Ganesh Utsav. Gandhian Anna Hazare, who came from a nondescript village in Ahmednagar district and captured the imagination of the country, has emerged as one of the favourite themes this year.

Anna Hazare's 13-day fast against corruption had united the nation; hence it’s no wonder that Anna finds a proud place on the podium with the Lord himself. He was discharged from hospital yesterday and has reached his village Ralegaon Siddhi to a hero’s welcome.

In one Mumbai pandal, the God of Wisdom is shown expressing his solidarity with Anna and the masses by wearing a white Gandhi cap.
At the feet of Ganesh is a rat, signifying the common man, and sports a white dhoti and vest with a white cap. Another rat is depicted wearing an orange dhoti, signifying spiritual support across religions.

And it’s not just that, a copy of the Jan Lokpal Bill is 'presented' before Lord Ganesh idol and the rats are shown praying to Lord Ganesh for his divine intervention to rid the country of corruption.

The 10-day long festival began on Thursday with prayers being held at homes and thousands thronging various pandals all across the city and elsewhere in the state.

Today morning the 'pran pratishthapana' puja was performed at the auspicious 'muhurat' as per the Hindu 'panchang'. The idol can be kept at home for a half-a-day, five days or the entire 10 days of the festival.

In Mumbai, the biggest attraction, as always, is the Lalbagh Ganesh, fondly called Lalbaghcha Raja. Hordes of devotees have started to converge for a darshan amid tight security. Elsewhere in the city too, Ganesh pandals with huge statues of the God revered as vignaharta (obstacle remover).

The 10-day Ganesh festival has also begun with traditional pomp and gaiety in other cities of the state like Pune, Nashik, Sangli, Kolhapur, Ahmednagar, Aurangabad and Nagpur.

Over the years, the festival has grown out of Maharashtra and is celebrated with fervour in many other parts of the country as well.

Known as Vinayaga Chaturthi in Tamil Nadu, the festival is being celebrated on a large scale in the southern state.

The festival is also being celebrated with reverence in other parts of the country as well, including in Bangalore, Hyderabad, Udaipur and Delhi.

The festival ends with devotees immersing the idols in the sea or water bodies.

Sharmila : 'One day, my fight will also be recognised’

Irom Sharmila, on a hunger strike for the past 11 years, Tuesday said a day would come when her fight against rights violations by security forces would be acknowledged by New Delhi like the way parliament had recognised Anna Hazare's campaign against corruption.

"The central government recognised Anna Hazare as a true Indian citizen and hence accepted his demands. I am sure one day the government would recognise me and my fight against rights violations," Sharmila told journalists outside a local court where she was being presented for a routine hearing.

"I would like to urge Anna to visit Manipur and see for himself what is happening here," Sharmila said as she was shoved inside a police van from the court premises.

Dubbed as the Iron Lady of Manipur, Sharmila began her fast Nov 2, 2000, after witnessing the killing of 10 people by the army at a bus stop near her home.

Now around 40, she was arrested shortly after beginning her protest on charges of attempted suicide. She was sent to a prison hospital where she began a daily routine of being force-fed via a nasal drip.

Sharmila is frequently set free by local courts, but once outside, she resumes her hunger-strike and is rearrested.

She is campaigning for the repeal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) that enables security forces to shoot on sight and arrest anybody without a warrant.

Civil rights campaigners in Manipur are upset with the mainstream media for the disparity in coverage by comparing Anna Hazare's anti-graft fast and ignoring the over decade-long hunger strike by Irom Chanu Sharmila.

"There is a general sense of feeling that we, the people of the northeast, have always been neglected, discriminated, and looked down upon by the rest of India, including the mainstream media. See how Anna's fast has hogged media headlines and see our very own Irom fasting for nearly 11 years," Singhajit Singh, a civil rights campaigner and Sharmila's elder brother, said.

"The attitude of the Indian public is sad in the sense that something happening in the northeast is seldom recognized by the mainstream media. The whole attitude is discriminatory," said Babloo Loitongbam from a local human rights group.

AFSPA was passed in 1990 to grant security forces special powers and immunity from prosecution to deal with raging insurgencies in the northeastern states and in Jammu and Kashmir.

The act is a target for local human rights groups and international campaigners such as Amnesty International, which say the law has been an excuse for extra-judicial killings.

Amnesty has campaigned vociferously against the legislation, which it sees as a stain on India's democratic credentials and a violation of international human rights laws.

Sharmila is currently being held in an isolated room at the Jawarharlal Nehru Hospital here.

"If Anna was born in Manipur and Sharmila born in New Delhi, things would have been just the reverse. For the mainstream media, northeast or things happening in the northeast hardly excite them," Singh said.

Earlier in the day, former union home secretary G.K. Pillai said that Sharmila must "reach out to people across the country" like Hazare to make her cause known.

"It is a question of how you reach out to people. AFSPA is applicable only in Jammu and Kashmir and in the northeastern states. Corruption is pricking people everywhere and that's why Anna Hazare had a high moral ground," Pillai told IANS Monday.

"She has to reach out to the people across the country. She has to say why she is on fast," said Pillai.

Manipur is home to 2.4 million people and about 19 separatist groups which have demands ranging from autonomy to independence. An estimated 10,000 people have been killed during the past two decades of violence.

Lokpal: Pranab stresses on Constitutionality

Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee started the Lokpal debate in the Lok Sabha on today, stressing on the necessity of staying within the Constitution. The House also unanimously requested anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare to end his fast, which has entered its 12th day.

"We are at a crossroads," said Mukherjee in Parliament, kicking off the debate on the Lokpal Bill. "We are being watched by everyone." He called for an objective, dispassionate debate, requesting that MPs try to seek a Constitutionally acceptable solution.

Mukherjee said that if a consensus is arrived at after the debate, the recommendations shall be sent to the Standing Committee. The Committee will examine the recommendations for applicability and constitutionality.

The House will take up Hazare's Jan Lokpal Bill along with three other versions of the Lokpal Bill including the one Government already tabled in Parliament.
Stressing that the Government is in favour of a strong Lokpal, Mukherjee pointed put that the Government formed a joint drafting committee half of whose members were nominated by Hazare.

Explaining the sequence of events from April when Hazare launched his fast for the first time demanding a strong Lokpal, the Finance Minister said that the joint drafting committee met nine time April 16 to June 22.

He said that there were 40 basic principles which Hazare and his associates put forward during those meetings. He claimed that out of 40 on 26 basic principles, there was an agreement, there were seven principles, on which in-principle agreement and on seven points there was an agreement but it required editorial changes.

"I appeal to the MPs to use this occasion to pass the Bill without disturbing the constitutional process. I appeal to the MPs to have an objective discussion on this, try to find a solution within the constitutional frame work without harming the democratic supremacy in the matter of legistalation and resolve this impasse," said Pranab.

Mukherjee said, "This is one of the rare occassion where proceedings of the House is drawing the attention of entire nation and perhaps world, as the largest functioning democracy is at a crucial stage. Whatever we do, we have to do within the framework of the Constitution."

"We have to keep in mind that everything we do must be consistent with our constitutional framework. We are at a crossroads, all of us want the agitation to end. The issues raised by Anna Hazare is important, they need to be looked into. After delibertaion's are over, we can arrive if possible on a consensus which will reflect the sense of the House. The Prime Minister assured this House that our Government is committed to bring appropriate legislation to bring transparency in public service. The Prime Minister made a statement in the Lok Sabha on August 26 reiterating Government's resolve on the Lokpal Bill," he said.

PM's offer: ready to debate all versions of Lokpal Bill

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has offered a new formula to end the Lokpal deadlock with Team Anna.

Replying to the debate on corruption in Lok Sabha, Prime Minister said the government is ready to debate all versions of the Lokpal Bill in circulation at present.

The PM said the aim was to give the country a strong Lokpal and for that the government was ready to involve all sections in discussions.

The PM said along with the Jan Lokpal Bill the bills prepared by Aruna Roy's NCPRI and Jaiprakash Narain (of Hyderabad) will also be debated by the Parliament.

After the debate, the strongest points of all the bills could be forwarded to the standing committee for its consideration.

The PM said he hadn't given full thought to the feasibility of his proposal but urged the Speaker and the MPs to give it thought and decide if this could be a via media for reaching a solution with Anna and his team.

Manmohan Singh once again reached out to Anna Hazare and urged him to end his fast immediately.

Heaping praise on Anna Hazare, Manmohan Singh said, "I respect his idealism, I applaud him and I salute him."

Urging Anna Hazare to end his fast he said that Hazare had made his point and his life was precious and valuable for the nation.

The PM's appeal was seconded by the leader of the Opposition Sushma Swaraj, who also appealed to Hazare to end his fast and assured him that the opposition would ensure that the govt passed a strong Lokpal Bill.

The Lok Sabha passed a resolution urging Hazare to end the fast and later the Speaker made an appeal to this effect on behalf of the House.

Earlier, the PM accused the opposition of making personal attacks on him on the issue of corruption.

He said he was ready for a probe by the leader of the Opposition into his assets to see if he had benefited from corruption in his personal life

Anna ready to negotiate directly with Govt

Anna Hazare is ready to negotiate directly with the Government to end the deadlock over the Lokpal issue with his old time supporters telling that Arvind Kejriwal and Kiran Bedi are proving to be main hurdles to talks. The supporters, who have worked with Hazare for many years, say that the Government has agreed to almost 80 per cent of his demands and this is the right time to talks directly with the Government.

A group of Hazare supporters have also expressed their concern over his falling health and feel that the fast and agitation cannot be continued for an indefinite period of time. Hazare's fast entered its 10th day on August 25 and he has almost 6.5 kg.

Sources say that the crisis can be resolved if any credible political leader speaks to Hazare. He is reportedly ready to talk to any leader from Maharashtra, including Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan. Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, who is heading the Government team negotiating with Team Anna, has reportedly called Vilasrao Deshmukh for a meeting to discuss Hazare's fast.

Talks between the Government and Hazare's associates - Kejriwal, Bedi and Prashant Bhushan - appear to have virtually broken down forcing Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to look for outside help once again

The Prime Minister has written to former Chief Justice of India JS Verma asking him to try and convince Anna to be rational while dealing with a complex problem.

Meanwhile, Kejriwal and Bedi have questioned the Government's sincerity and named Union Telecom and HRD Minister Kapil Sibal and Home Minister P Chidambaram as spoilers. They hinted that Pranab Mukherjee was not getting the political leeway he needed to resolve the deadlock over the Lokpal issue.

Team Anna also threatened to intensify the agitation and have not committed to the next round of talks with the Government. Kejriwal appealed to Hazare supporters to sit on dharna outside the Ministers 7 Race Course Road residence at 5 PM on Today and request him to act on the Jan Lokpal Bill.

Team Anna blames 'why the government took a U-turn on the issues'

 Team Anna feels that the Congress is divided over the Jan Lokpal Bill and believes that the party's internal politics forced the Government to take a U-turn. The Government called Team Anna at 1 am, said sources, and invited them for another round of talks on Today, after Wednesday night's talks ended on a bitter note.

Arvind Kejriwal on Today squarely blamed Union Ministers Kapil Sibal and P Chidambaram for the breakdown.

"Sibal and Chidambaram strongly opposed the talks process. Perhaps that is why the government took a U-turn on the issues we had (earlier) agreed upon," Kejriwal said.

"We have become victims of internal politics of Congress. How many rounds of talks we have had with senior leaders like Kapil Sibal and Chidambaram but nothing has happened till now. Whom will we talk to?," he added.

The Government, after an all-party meet on Wednesday, said that parliamentary procedures can't be bypassed.

The Centre seemed to have hardened its stand during Wednesday night's talks with Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee saying that due consideration would be given to Anna Hazare's Jan Lokpal Bill, echoing the resolution passed by an all-party meeting on Wednesday evening. "It's back to square one," said Kiran Bedi after the meeting.

Sources said if the Government doesn't agree, Team Anna will have no choice but to intensify its agitation.

Anna Hazare's is said to be feeling fine even as his fast enters the tenth day on Thursday.

He told supporters to continue protesting peacefully and to court arrest if he is forcibly taken to hospital.

But Delhi's Police Commissioner has allayed those apprehensions and said Anna Hazare would be taken out of the Ramlila Maidan only if the doctors attending to him advised hospitalisation.

Earlier, at the all-party meeting held at Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's 7 Race Course Road residence on Wednesday afternoon, the Government offered to make changes in the Lokpal Bill it has tabled in Parliament. But the entire Opposition wants the Government to withdraw its bill.

However, the Government said that there is no need for the withdrawal of the bill.

The Government has agreed that an amended Lokpal Bill will be tabled in Parliament but has refused to give any timeline for the final bill. The final bill will contain amendments suggested by Team Anna or any other group and the Prime Minister will be brought under the Lokpal's ambit.

The Lokpal will replace the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) as the investigation agency for corruption cases and a citizens' charter will be included for redressal.

But two main sticking points remain: Lokayuktas for all states and inclusion of lower bureaucracy under the Lokpal.

Anna Hazare's team is ready for direct political dialogue

According today report Anna Hazare said there is no reason why Parliament can't pass the Lokpal Bill within next two weeks and his team is ready for direct political dialogues with open minds.

Reiterating that negotiators should only be political, Hazare said, "If the Prime Minister puts Prithviraj Chavan as negotiator I will be more than happy. Lets start the process of direct political dialogues, we are with open minds". Downplaying the health concerns as his fast entered the eighth day on Tuesday, the 74-year-old anti-corruption crusader said, "My health is fine, I can continue like this for a week or more".

Troubled by reports of people drinking and turning rowdy at the Ramlila Maidan, Hazare said, "I appeal to supporters not to take law into their own hands".

Anna Hazare on Monday said that Lokpal Bill negotiations cannot happen with non-government mediators and added that he can talk with the Prime Minister's Office or Rahul. He also added that he was ready to talk with Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan.

He said that no official mediator has approached him or his associates till now and also added that would not speak to anyone without the presence of his advisers.

Demanding that the Lokpal Bill introduced by the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government in Parliament be withdrawn immediately as it was weak and cannot fight the corruption menace, Hazare stated that state level Lokpal mechanism cannot be diluted.

Hinting at some flexibility on the issue of excluding judiciary under the Lokpal, Hazare said that this demand could be discussed during the talks. He, however, added that the Judicial Accountability Bill must be strengthened if judiciary has to be kept out of the Lokpal.

Parliamentary panel seeks public opinion

As Anna Hazare continued his protest fast, a parliamentary standing committee on today invited public suggestions on the Lokpal Bill. Team Anna member Arvind Kejriwal dismissed it as an attention diverting tactic.

The Parliamentary Standing committee on Personnel, Public grievances, Law and Justice, which is to suggest amendments to the Lokpal Bill, published advertisements in leading newspapers, seeking ideas and suggestions on the bill.

"The committee has decided to invite memoranda containing views/suggestions from individuals, organisations interested in the subject matter of the bill and also hear select oral evidence on the subject matter of the bill," the advertisement said.

A time limit of 15 days starting on Saturday has been given to send suggestions.

Chairman of the committee, Congress MP Abhishek Manu Singhvi, said the suggestions will be looked into by the committee.

"We have sent an advertisement for all interested to give their frank, open, unbiased views (on the Lokpal bill). Within manageable limits, we will go through all the suggestions and everything will be looked into," Singhvi said.

He said the civil society members were also invited to give their suggestions. "We had invited the civil society members as early as 10th of Aug."

The step is being seen as an attempt to counter the protesting activists who have claimed that public opinion is against the Lokpal Bill introduced by the government.

Team Anna however rejected the call as an attempt to divert attention.

"As far as calling the feedback is concerned it is not a referendum also. If the government does any referendum, the government bill will be totally trashed by the people. This is simply diverting attention," Kejriwal said.

The civil society members have urged the parliamentary standing committee to reject the bill.

"We requested the standing committee to completely reject the bill and send it back to the government because there is no time for the standing committee and parliament to waste their precious time in discussing a totally wrong bill," he said.

Anna Hazare leaves Tihar jail to begin hunger strike

Amid crowd cheering and following him, Anna Hazare reached Rajghat on way to Ramlila Maidan from Tihar jail. He addresses his supporters after reaching the venue for protest. Thousands of people, many of them school children, thronged the Ramlila Maidan despite rains to support the social activist in his fight for a stringent anti-corruption law.

There were cheers and hail Anna slogans as the announcement was made that Hazare had left Tihar jail after three days and would slowly make his way to the Ramlila Maidan, via Mahatma Gandhi's memorial Rajghat and India Gate.

I will join you all people at Ramlila Maidan. We should not let this spirit die down. Our freedom struggle is incomplete till corruption is wiped out. We want corruption to be completely removed from India. The fight against corruption is far from over. The fight for freedom has started," said Hazare.

Emphasizing that this is India's second freedom struggle, Hazare thanking his supporters for the massive support said: "The second freedom struggle has started from August 16. India will not really be free until this movement is successful. This movement must not die."

Kiran Bedi, who was overseeing the arrangements at Ramlila Maidan, made regular requests to people to maintain calm and peace.
Hazare had planned to begin his fast for a stronger lokpal bill at the JP Park in the ITO area here Tuesday.

BJP targets Sonia in land acquisition row

With an eye on Anna Hazare’s crusade against corruption, the BJP raked up the scam involved in land allocation for the Rajiv Gandhi Trust in Haryana, targeting Congress president Sonia Gandhi.  Sensing the popular mood against corruption and given Hazare’s concern for the woes of the farmers resulting from land acquisitions, the BJP fielded former party president Rajnath Singh to raise the issue inside the Lok Sabha.

The reference to Congress president Sonia Gandhi led to uproarious scenes, forcing the House to be adjourned twice.

Amid repeated interruptions from the Congress members and objection from Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal who said that the state subject could not be raised in Parliament, Rajnath Singh defended himself on the ground that since the Land Acquisition Act will be a Central legislation, the issue could be taken up in Parliament.

While demanding a judicial inquiry into the land acquisitions in Haryana, Rajnath Singh wanted the Centre to issue an advisory to all the states to keep in abeyance the land acquisition proceedings until the new Land Acquisition Bill is passed in Parliament.  “Land acquisitions are for public purpose, but it cannot be justified, if it is done to benefit private builders,” he said.  However, when asked whether the BJP Central leadership would issue an advisory to the BJP-ruled states, Rajnath Singh simply stated that there was no land violation in these states.

From the village common land pool, land was leased out to the Rajiv Gandhi Trust for a period of 30 years.  In another instance, in 2006, land was acquired for Rajiv Educational Society, which was later sold to the private builders. Reacting to the claim of AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi that Haryana model of land acquisitions is the best model, Rajnath Singh asked,”Why then are the farmers angry in Haryana?”  Rajnath Singh said he had toured 12 villages in the area, including Ullahawas, and seen how the land was being acquired from farmers in an unjust and unfair manner.

During his visit to several villages in Haryana on August 5, delegations of farmers explained to him the modus operandi of the state government. Land acquisition proceedings are initiated under Section 4 and Section 6 of the Land Acquisition Act.  Once the villagers know that the government is all set to acquire the land, then, in collusion with the builders lobby, the administration withdraws the acquisition proceedings.

Kejriwal: Anna to leave Tihar jail today

Civil society activist Anna Hazare will leave Tihar Jail for Ramlila ground around 11 a.m. Friday where he will continue his fast for a stronger anti-corruption bill, his aide Arvind Kejriwal said.

Supporters of veteran Indian social activist Anna Hazare hold his portrait as they wait for Hazare to leave Tihar jail in New Delhi August 18, 2011. India's beleaguered government caved in to popular fury over corruption on Wednesday after thousands protested across the country, granting permission for a self-styled Gandhian crusader to stage a 15-day hunger strike in public.

He added, 'The crowds gathered to support Anna Hazare are spiritual, and there have been no incidents of violence so far in the country where political rallies turn violent easily,' Kejriwal said.'We've asked all our supporters that if they see anyone indulging in unsocial behaviour, they should immediately report to police.'

Hazare, 74, had planned to begin his fast for a stronger Lokpal Bill at the J.P. Park in the ITO area Tuesday.

Anna will go Ramlila ground tomorrow

Delhi Police gave the permission for a 15-day fast at Ramlila Maidan on Wednesday night after talks between Team Anna and Delhi Police Commissioner BK Gupta.

74-year-old Gandhian will reach the Ramlila Maidan for his indefinite anti-corruption fast on Friday (August 19) since the venue is not yet prepared for him and his supporters to hold the hunger strike. Anna's close aide Arvind Kejriwal said, "In view of conditions at Ramlila Maidan, Anna Hazare will reach the place tomorrow."

Kerjriwal is said to have updated Anna Hazare about the situation at the Ramlila Maidan, where the Municipal Corporation of Delhi is working doubly hard to ensure that the venue is ready for the fast. Following this, Anna took the decision to reach the venue only tomorrow.

After this recent development, it remains to be seen if Anna will leave Tihar Jail today as reported earlier, or whether he will stay for a third night at the high profile jail. Team Anna’s key member Kiran Bedi said that they would visit the ground to take stock of the preparations and once they are satisfied with the same, they will inform Anna.

According to sources, the jail authorities have completed the necessary formalities for Anna's release and are awaiting for an official green signal.

A team of doctors from the Medanta Medicity, GP Pant Hospital and the Tihar Jail hospital examined Anna Hazare and declared that his condition is stable.

After he left the Tihar Jail, Kejriwal had said, "The MCD (Municipal Corporation of Delhi) has to prepare the ground first and hand it over to us. Then we will prepare the stage, etc. Only when it is ready, Anna will leave Tihar. We have just spoken to Delhi Police Commissioner, he has assured me that a Deputy Commissioner will personally look at the arrangement at Ramlila Maidan."

Hazare supporters have said that their protests will only end after the Government agrees to a strong Lokpal bill in parliament. Supporters have started to gather at Ramlila Maidan in anticipation of his arrival. Police have made heavy security arrangements at the fast venue and are combing the ground with sniffer dogs and metal detectors to secure the area.

Team Anna has also given a two-page undertaking to police on its protest fast in Ramlila Maidan, saying they would abide by existing rules and regulations and the crowd will not exceed the capacity of the ground, which is around 25,000 people. In the undertaking signed by Anna Hazare himself and his associates - Arvind Kejriwal, Prashant Bhushan, Kiran Bedi and Shanti Bhushan, they also said that if any clause of it was violated, they would be liable to be prosecuted under law.

US blames incorrect media reports for Anna row

The US today said it supports freedom of peaceful expression and non-violent protest everywhere in the world, but blamed "inaccurate reporting" in India for creating an impression that Washington had issued a strong statement on anti-graft protests there.

US State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland refuted reports that the US had given any statement in direct support of Anna Hazare's movement, that had prompted a strong reaction by India.

Yesterday, Congress spokesperson Rashid Alvi said, "US never supported any movement in India since its independence. For the first time, the US said that Anna Hazare's movement should be allowed and there should be no obstruction to it. What was the need for the US to give this statement?

"It needs to be considered whether there is any power which is supporting this movement which wants to destabilize not only the government but the country. We need to take the statement of the US seriously.

"There was some extremely inaccurate reporting out of India yesterday or today that the United States had issued some sort of strong statement, which we did not issue. The only statement about India yesterday to my knowledge was the one that we made from the podium here," State Department spokesperson, Victoria Nuland, told.

Nuland was responding to questions about the statement by the Congress spokesman suggesting that the US was interfering in the internal affairs of the country.

"I think this goes to inaccurate reporting in India that we had issued some sort of statement on -- with regard to this case that we did not issue. With regard to the case, however, you know where we are. We support freedom of expression and assembly. And we encourage all countries and all parties to do the same," Nuland said.

Anna's protest: citizens' right or blackmail?

The Team Anna versus government deadlock seems to be over for now. Anna Hazare has been given the go ahead to fast for 15 days at Ramlila Maidan. But the civil society is split over whether his method of protest falls in the category of blackmail. Apart from Anna's team, no one's come out to support his version of the Lokpal Bill, not even the political Opposition.

Anna Hazare's supporters loudly expressing that they have complete faith in Anna, his methods and the Jan Lokpal Bill.

"We want the Jan Lokpal Bill to be passed. That is the only condition and till the government accepts it, we won't agree," said a supporter.

But there are equally vocal differences in civil society about Anna Hazare. There are those who feel Hazare's threat of a hunger strike is nothing short of blackmail.

The National Campaign for Peoples Right to Information which has drafted its own version of the Lokpal Bill says that Team Anna's draft is not the only way to fight corruption.

"It will take several years of fight and struggle to be able to change the situation. People will have to fight for many years no matter what the law is," said Nikhil Dey.

Others say Anna Hazare's agitation is only undermining Parliament.

"This is a democratically elected Parliament and anyone who challenges it, please be wary of them," said Nandita Rao.

And still others feel that Anna is simply a front for the Hindu rightwing groups.

"We have seen what the RSS has done in this country," said Shabnam Hashmi.

Writer and civil activist Arundhati Roy is scathing about the arrest of Anna but says it's naive to think that Lokpal will solve corruption problem.

"It is absolutely outrageous what the government has done and mysterious as well. I don't know what is it so insecure about," said Arundhati Roy.

In the CNN-IBN State of the Nation poll across 19 states and 20,000 respondents, it was found that only one third of Indians have heard about the Jan Lokpal Bill and only one fourth have any idea what the bill is about. So the Anna Hazare movement could well be one based mainly in the TV viewing educated urban middle class.

The numbers on the street may be growing but scepticism is also growing about this so called second freedom movement.

For some Anna may be Gandhi, but others say, it takes more than just a topi and media attention to become a true Mahatma.

Anna's village falls silent in protest against corruption

Anna Hazare's village Ralegan Siddhi, 75 km north of Pune, shut down completely for the second consecutive day.But it was abuzz with activities with villagers launching a series of agitations to protest against corruption in the country and also Hazare's arrest.They also observed a day of silence and fasting.

 Villagers carried an effigy of the Union government from the village state transport bus stand to the crematorium where it was burnt amid anti-government chants.

Hundreds of men, women and schoolchildren took part in the mock funeral procession.

Later in the day, around 600 villagers sat in silence in and outside the Yadavbaba temple, located in the centre of the village.

A motorcycle rally of around 200 youth from the neighbouring Nighoj village was organised as part of the protest. The youth later gathered in Ralegan Siddhi village to express their solidarity with the villagers.

The neighbouring villages around Ralegan Siddhi also organised their own protests on Wednesday.

Villagers, both young and old, held a three-hour ghantanaad (non-stop ringing of bells) at Jategaon near Ralegan Siddhi.

The Ralegan Siddhi villagers broke their fast at 5pm.

The day ended with a maashal rally through the streets of the village at 7.30pm followed by a gram sabha (meeting of the villagers) in Yadavbaba temple to decide the plan of action on Thursday.

Sakharam Raut, trustee of Anna Hazare's Hind Swaraj Trust, said he was happy with the swelling numbers in the village to join the agitation."Ralegan Siddhi experienced a charged atmosphere for a second day in a row. We had as many as 1,000 youth from the neighbouring villages and towns who came here to extend their support to Anna's cause," said Raut.

After the gram sabha meeting, Raut said the villagers had decided to keep their shops open only in the morning and late evenings on Thursday.

He added, "We have planned to hold a relay hunger strike on Thursday."

How Anna Hazare upset Rahul Gandhi's plans for UP

Anna Hazare’s fast in Tihar Jail seems to have had unintended consequences on Rahul Gandhi’s plans for the upcoming UP state elections.

In July Rahul started his four-day padyatra defying prohibitory orders in Bhatta-Parsaul, using the issue of land acquisition to find a toe-hold in UP. Little did he know that Anna’s fast would ensure his well-laid plans go awry.

Inspired by Anna the same farmers who walked with Gandhi are now planning to march to Delhi on October 18 to protest against land acquisitions. “Anna’s call has struck a chord with us.

The Centre keeps postponing the land acquisition law, the UP government hounds us, and our brethren are being killed in Pune.

Who is responsible? Does Rahul Gandhi really bother about anything beyond electoral gains?” asked Ajay Pal Sharma, a member of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) that spearheaded the Greater Noida agitation.

“Nothing changed for farmers after Gandhi’s visit to Bhatta-Parsaul. He visited the villages with an eye on the upcoming assembly elections. What did we get? Politicians have reduced us to a joke. Anna’s movement is against corruption and we fully support it,” said Raju Mallick, BKU’s spokesperson.

Another village elder said: “Anna has shown the way. Look what the governments are doing. Rahul came once and went away. Now the police come daily and harass us. We pleaded with him to ensure the cases are withdrawn. But nothing happened.”

Anna Hazare to remain in Tihar till Ramlila Maidan is ready

Anna Hazare's health continues to be a matter of national concern. The member of Team Anna, Arvind Kejriwal, said a team of doctors would check on Anna Hazare just before his release from hospital. These reportedly would consist of doctors from a government hospital and those from Naresh Trehan's Vedanta Medicity.

''Anna Hazare's health is fine. A medical team from GB Pant hospital visited him on Wednesday evening. But he said that when jail doctors are taking care of him he does not need another medical team?''

Kejriiwal added that a medical team would be with Anna at all times, and that the Ramlila ground was being made ready for the Gandhian's purported fast to end corruption.       

''The Ramlila ground is being prepared. Only when it is ready to go, will Anna come out of Tihar jail. As things stands today, MCD has to prepare the grounds since it is full of muck. The ground has to be made ready because if the crowd reaches Ramlila grounds before we reach, it will be difficult to set up tents for them.

On Wednesday, defying the Delhi Police's earlier diktats, Anna Hazare had courted arrest demanding that he be allowed to fast without any conditions. After a late night meeting with the Delhi Police Commissioner B K Gupta, Team Anna said that the Gandhian had decided to accept the city police's offer permitting him to stage his protest for 14 days which could be extended later.

The leading player of the movement, Arvind Kejriwal said Anna Hazare will leave Tihar only when the Ramlila ground is ready. He will not move anywhere else. He will move straight from the jail to the Ramlila Maidan.