Anna-hit Congress missing Sonia Gandhi, badly

With the UPA government looking increasingly helpless in the face of the avalanche of anti-corruption protests led by Anna Hazare, the ruling Congress is sorely missing its president Sonia Gandhi and feels she could have made a difference in handling the crisis.
"Of course, the party is missing Sonia Gandhi,” senior Congress leader Janardan Dwivedi told IANS when asked whether the party was missing the leadership skills of Gandhi, who is abroad recuperating from an illness, at the peak of the popular anti-corruption movement led by Hazare.
"Whatever has happened has happened. Now, the situation should be handled more carefully,” Dwivedi said when asked whether Gandhi could have made a difference amid the widespread perception that the agitation was handled in a ham-handed manner by the government.
Dwivedi is among the group of four party members that include Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, Ahmed Patil, political secretary to the Congress chief, and Defence Minister AK Antony mandated by Gandhi to run day-to-day affairs of the party during her absence.
Dwivedi, some party insiders said, was voicing a sense of drift that has set in the party since Gandhi left for the US nearly three weeks ago for medical treatment.
"The party has been missing her leadership. Not only the party, the entire nation is missing her," a senior Congress leader, who did not wish to be named, told IANS.
Sources said the doctors will decide early next month whether she can return to India, but she is not expected to resume active public life for some time.
During her absence, the party has been hit by one crisis after another, starting with the tabling of the Comptroller and Auditor General's report on suspected irregularities in the Commonwealth Games in the parliament.
The report gave another knock to the image of the government that was already on the defensive over charges of corruption in the allocation of 2G spectrum.
But the lack of leadership became more visible when the government decided to detain Hazare on the morning of August 16, leading to escalating protests and projecting him as an anti-corruption icon.
Hazare was arrested, sent to Tihar Jail and subsequently released on the night of August 16. The decision to release Hazare, say party insiders, was decided after Rahul Gandhi intervened and also persuaded the government to refrain from making personalised attacks against Hazare and his associates.
On the 67th birth anniversary of Rajiv Gandhi, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and party leaders admitted that they were badly missing Sonia Gandhi in the thick of this crisis forced by one of the biggest civil society protests in recent years. “All of us are missing her. We pray to god that she recovers soon and guide us once again," Manmohan Singh said at the Rajiv Gandhi Sadbhavna Award function Aug 20.

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Anna ready to speak to Rahul, PMO or Chavan

NEW DELHI: On the seventh day of his fast, Anna Hazare said on Monday he would negotiate with Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) or Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan to break the logjam with the union government on the Lokpal bill.

The IBN Lokmat Marathi news channel quoted him as saying that he would not negotiate with any other mediator, including Home Minister P. Chidambaram or Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Kapil Sibal.

According to the channel, the 74-year-old activist added in an interview to IBN Lokmat editor Nikhil Wagle that negotiations could not take place with non-government mediators.

"Hazare 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," according to the CNN-IBN channel.

In a similar development, Hazare's close aide Kiran Bedi said the activist wanted Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to send his representative to hold talks on a stringent legislation that will set up an independent and powerful anti-graft watchdog.

"Anna is saying let the government come forward to discuss the Jan Lokpal bill. Let the PM send his representatives. Any negotiations are rumours," Bedi tweeted on the microblogging site Twitter.

The prime minister in his address in Kolkata earlier in the day said the government was ready for debate on the Lokpal bill.

Hazare, 74, has been on fast since Aug 16 demanding a stronger Lokpal bill in parliament.

The anti-corruption campaigner also told the Marathi news channel that no official mediator has approached him "till now".

"He also said he would not speak to anyone without the presence of his advisers," according to the news channel.

Hazare reiterated his demand that the Lokpal bill introduced by the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government in parliament should be withdrawn immediately "as it was weak and cannot fight the corruption menace".

He also hinted at some flexibility on the issue of excluding judiciary under the ombudsman, and said this demand could be discussed during the proposed talks.

He, however, added that a proposed Judicial Accountability Bill must be strengthened if judiciary has to be kept out of the Lokpal's jurisdiction.

Hazare ruled out any future possibility of negotiating with non-political mediators like spiritual guru Bhayyuji Maharaj and senior bureaucrat from Maharashtra U.C. Sarangi.

The two were said to be involved in back-channel talks with Hazare but he denied it.

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Will power keeps fasting Hazare in form: Doctors

septuagenarian has lost five kg of weight as his fast continued for the seventh day at Ramlila Maidan in the capital. Hazare drinks only water during his fast. His blood and urine samples are showing up ketone particles, that are created by the body during starvation, and are meant to provide an alternate source of fuel from fatty acids.
"Ketone particles have been traced in his blood and urine. He was 71 kg. After a week of fasting, he has lost five kg of weight; now he weighs 66 kg," Balram Gupta of Medanta Medicity, one of the doctors treating Hazare at the fast venue, told IANS.
"His health is deteriorating but for his age he is strong," said Gupta.
According to health experts, formation of ketone particles is dangerous as it may affect vital organs like kidney and liver. After 60 hours of continuous fasting, any human being body will get dehydrated and blood sugar levels will go down.
"Normally a person is required to take 1.5 litres of water a day for normal functioning of the body. Anna takes around 3 to 4 litres of water. Fasting is not new for Anna who is a follower of Gandhi," said a member of Team Anna.
Meanwhile, Rommel Tickoo, senior consultant (internal medicine) of Max Hospital, said,"It depends on person to person. As per medical literature, anyone who goes on hunger strike can withstand for three weeks, but after that complications creep in.
"Taking Anna's age into consideration, he seems to be strong after a week's fast and his will power is admirable. He seems to be active and fasting for long periods seems to be a practice for this ex-army man. Even people who are much younger can't do this," Tickoo said.
Yoga guru Baba Ramdev, 40, had broken his fast against corruption after only nine days. His condition worsened after he kept away from solid food for around a week.
Hazare had earlier gone on a one-day fast protesting police brutality against Baba Ramdev's supporters in June and a five-day-long fast in April when the government conceded to his demand on drafting a strong Lokpal Bill.
"Hazare has high cholesterol and we advised him not to go for such frequent fasts as his health could deteriorate. But he is still going on with the strike," Parag Sancheti, a Pune-based doctor who treated him for osteoarthritis, said.
"We advised him to eat at regular intervals and bed rest. It was really surprising to see Anna running in Rajghat after fasting for four days. I am totally amazed by his will power and determination," Sancheti said.
Hazare has been suffering from osteoarthritis and has been under treatment for the last five years.

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Anna Hazare supporters protest outside houses of MPs in UP

Supporters of Anna Hazare outside the house of BJP leader and Ghaziabad MP Rajnath Singh.

Anna Hazare has scored a hit with his call for a dharna outside the residences of elected representatives to force them to support the Jan Lokpal Bill. Political leaders across Uttar Pradesh faced the heat on Sunday.
Over 3,000 people gathered outside the house of Ghaziabad MP and senior BJP leader Rajnath Singh.
Rajnath, however, was in Karnataka for a meeting and senior citizens submitted a memorandum to his representatives.
"The common man is unable to have three meals a day because of rising food prices - a result of corruption. The people of his constituency want Rajnath and his party to support the Jan Lokpal Bill," Rajendra Tyagi, general secretary of the anti- corruption body Social Awareness Society, said.
Earlier in the day, the Gandhian had asked a cheering crowd of around 1 lakh people at the Ramlila Maidan to start visiting their elected representatives' residences. "Go to their residences... go sing Raghupati Raghav raja Ram, sabko sanmati de bhagwan," he had said.
Heeding his call, people across UP protested outside their MPs' homes. "If the Congress government does not listen to the people, it will meet the same fate as in 1977," Hindi daily Hind Kranti 's editor Satyendra Yadav said.
In Kanpur, over 1,000 people organised a sit-in in front of Union Coal Minister Sriprakash Jaiswal's house. Similar protests were held outside the houses of Union law minister Salman Khurshid in Farrukhabad and Congress MP Raja Ram Pal in Kanpur. The protesters also sat on dharna in front of the house of Samajwadi Party MP Reoti Raman Singh.
Members of India Against Corruption also turned the heat on P. L. Punia, chief of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes, and BJP MP Lalji Tandon.
The protesters convinced RLD MP Sarika Singh Baghel in Hathras to announce her support for Anna.
R. K. Agrawal, a member of India Against Corruption, said: "We will organise sit- ins near the houses of ministers and MPs every day." Sunday was by far the busiest day for Team Anna. Arvind Kejriwal sounded disappointed at the government's response or the lack of it on Anna's sixth day of fast. He said, "We got a proposal from the government but they haven't even agreed to our smallest of suggestions.
There hasn't yet been any meeting ground." By late Sunday, spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and an Indorebased religious leader Bhayuji Maharaj too were seen talking to Anna. Sources said the spiritual guru was trying to bring about a compromise between Team Anna and the government.
Earlier, former Karnataka Lokayukta N. Santosh Hegde spoke at the Ramlila Maidan.
"Anna doesn't want to become the PM or President. He simply wants to fight corruption," he said.
Other speakers who addressed the gathering included Mufti Abul Qasim Nomani, the vice-chancellor of Darul Uloom Deoband. Team Anna also roped in around a dozen sportspersons, many of them Arjuna awardees, for support.
Prashant Bhushan, lawyer and Team Anna member, said: "The government says if the Prime Minister is investigated for corruption charges, the government will be shaken. But if the Prime Minister is corrupt and not investigated, this will be a great danger to the country's security," he said, adding that though their team was ready to talk to the government, it would not compromise on the core issues.
"Our Jan Lokpal Bill has been amended 13 times. All suggestions have been included," he added. He also demanded that the government bring a strong judicial accountability Bill along with the Lokpal Bill.
Swami Agnivesh, another Team Anna member, said they were open for talks but the government should create an atmosphere for it.
"In order to open a door for dialogue, the government has to create an atmosphere. They have to create an atmosphere of trust by withdrawing the government Bill from Parliament and introduce the Jan Lokpal Bill. This is the least they should do to earn our trust," he said.

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Efforts being made to disrupt Hazare's movement: Arvind Kejriwal

As Anna Hazare's fast entered seventh day today, his Team alleged that efforts are being made to disrupt the movement as "certain people" are scared to see the support for the Gandhian.
"Certain people are scared to see the huge support for the agitation. There are efforts to disrupt the movement," Hazare's close aide Arvind Kejriwal said addressing the gathering at Ramilila Maidan.
He said there may be efforts to trigger violence during the protest and asked people to remain vigilant and inform police about such activities.
"There efforts to break our unity. There may be efforts to create communal tensions. We will have to remain vigilant," Kejriwal said.
Accusing the government of being "sympathetic" to the corrupt, he said the official Lokpal Bill has nothing to effectively deal with graft.
"The government Lokapal Bill has nothing to deal with corruption and provide succour to the common man from the menace. We want PM to be investigated by an independent body which is Lokpal," he said
Kejriwal was the second speaker this morning at 'Anna ki Paathshala' in Ramlila Maidan, as it is called by supercop Kiran Bedi.
"If any judge is involved in corruption then seven-member Lokpal bench should be able to file an FIR against him," he said.
"If an MP takes bribe, he should be investigated by Lokpal," Kejriwal said, adding "government Lokpal will be accountable to government but Jan Lokpal will be accountable to the common man."
Asking supporters to "use your heart and mind before supporting Anna and the Jan Lokpal bill," he said anybody raising voice against corruption should get protection from Lokpal.
"No big tenders should be given to such companies that have flouted rules. They should be probed by Lokpal," he said.
Addressing the gathering, Bedi said CBI should be made an independent agency and should be brought under Lokpal.
"Government does not want the CBI to be an independent agency," she said.
Spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar also joined Hazare at Ramlila Maidan to extend his support to the Gandhian.
As Hazare's fast inched close to 150 hours, hundreds poured into Ramlila Maidan to express solidarity with the 73-year-old Gandhian who began his indefinite fast in police custody on August 16.
Government has initiated move for back-channel negotiations by roping in Additional Chief Secretary of Maharashtra Umesh Chandra Sarangi and spiritual leader Bhaiyyuji Maharaj. Both had a meeting with Hazare and his team yesterday.

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Survey shows overwhelming public support for Anna Hazare

A public opinion poll in the Capital has indicated an overwhelming support for social activist Anna Hazare, with 68 per cent of the respondents saying that his efforts would help in introduction of a strong Lokpal Bill in Parliament.

The survey, conducted by the Delhi-based Shyam Vyas MARC, covered responses from 616 people, mostly college students, in different parts of the city to gauge public expectations, views and perceptions regarding Anna Hazare's movement and government action.

A question whether Anna will finally be able to make a dent and reduce corruption, evoked a mixed response. While 44 per cent of the respondents supported him, 48 per cent were uncertain about the outcome.

However, the respondents agreed unanimously that Anna was receiving massive public support because the common man was fed up with corruption at all levels.

According to the poll, 96 per cent respondents felt that the powerful can get away with anything and the government was breeding a culture of non-accountability, 88 per cent said the government was apathetic to public grievances and 84 per cent expressed frustration over unfulfilled promises by politicians.

In all, 84 per cent respondents said they believed that Anna was getting support because he was perceived as a good human being. A whopping 92 per cent was of the opinion that the Prime Minister should have intervened to prevent Anna's arrest and his being sent to Tihar Central Jail.

“The decision to arrest Anna, according to 88 per cent respondents, was made by senior Ministers, while 12 per cent believed it was the Prime Minister himself who gave the go-ahead. Only 4 per cent believed that Delhi Police took the decision on their own.”

All the respondents questioned the sincerity of the senior Union Ministers who had negotiated with Team Anna, while 92 per cent believed that the international media attention over the entire sequence of events had adversely dented the country's image.

All the respondents knew Anna Hazare and about his initiative to bring a strong Lokpal Bill. They were aware of him having undertaken a fast and having been arrested and put in Tihar Jail.

“A whopping 96 per cent of the respondents stated that they approved of Anna Hazare's initiative. The rest were either uncertain or disapproved of it,” said the survey report.

On the handling of the situation by the Prime Minister and his Ministers, 84 per cent disapproved of it, whereas 16 per cent were uncertain.

“In all, 84 per cent respondents believed that Anna has managed to galvanise public opinion on corruption as never before in recent times. Sixteen per cent were uncertain, while no one was in disagreement.”

A huge 92 per cent of the respondents believed that Anna and his efforts have shown the Central Government in poor light and on the side of the corrupt. Only 8 per cent were uncertain. Eighty per cent believed that the damage to the ruling party and coalition was huge and even the Prime Minister's image had taken a hit.

In all, 88 per cent of respondents were of the opinion that Anna's efforts have given hope to the common man that corruption can be removed.

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Anna's fast enters seventh day, govt initiates talks

NEW DELHI: Activist Anna Hazare had lost five kg of weight as he entered his seventh day of fast for a strong anti-corruption bill on Monday, Team Anna member Arvind Kejriwal said.

"Ketone particles have been traced from his blood and urine... He has lost five kg of weight, his health is all right otherwise," Kejriwal told reporters at Ramlila Ground where Anna Hazare is sitting on fast.

Ketones are particles created by the body during starvation, and are meant to provide an alternate source of fuel from fatty acids.

Anna Hazare was detained on August 16 and taken to Tihar Jail, where he remained until Friday when he shifted to Ramlila ground.

The Anna Hazare camp on Sunday stepped up its campaign by demonstrating at the PM's residence and the Gandhian leader delivering a "Lokpal bill lao ya jao (bring Lokpal bill or go)" call.

The campaign's escalation came on a day that saw crowd support for the protests swelling dramatically, with large turnouts at India Gate and Ramlila Maidan.

Efforts to resolve the standoff also got underway, with intermediaries meeting telecom minister Kapil Sibal late on Sunday evening. Veteran Maharashtra bureaucrat U C Sarangi and longtime Hazare associate Bhayyuji Maharaj met the fasting leader for around 20 minutes earlier in the day. They were later closeted with Sibal.

Sarangi and Maharaj had taken a summary of the government's Lokpal bill to Hazare, but the activists dismissed it, saying it did not amount to any new proposals.

After the meeting with Sibal, campaign leaders said discussions were of a general nature and no proposal was conveyed to the government. Bhayyuji Maharaj said the talks were positive and both sides were flexible.

In response to the government's overtures, Team Anna said they were willing to talk and that a negotiator should be appointed by the government. While Arvind Kejriwal said the government should tell them whom to meet and when, Swami Agnivesh added that the government should introduce the Jan Lokpal bill in Parliament to create trust.

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