Confrontation between the Congress and the civil society, led by Anna Hazare, intensifies further ahead of the next meeting of the joint drafting committee on Lokpal bill. The Congress on Monday sharpened its attack on Mr Hazare

Ahead of the tough battle in Uttar Pradesh, the Congress is divided over the issue of projecting a leader to take on chief minister Mayawati.

The Congress party, feeling the heat on the issue of corruption, is gearing up to launch a counteroffensive against the BJP and the Sangh Parivar for “denigrating democratic institutions”. It has decided to hold public meetings on this issue across the country before the Monsoon Session of Parliament begins next month.

Tamil Nadu chief minister Jayalalithaa’s silence on the Ramdev issue, especially on the police action at the Ramlila Grounds in New Delhi, is being seen as a subtle signal to the Congress that the AIADMK is ready to do business with the Manmohan Singh government.

Two former chief ministers of Madhya Pradesh — Digvijay Singh and Uma Bharti — have emerged as key players in the impending Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh being the incharge of the Congress and the BJP for the state. The bitter rivals in Madhya Pradesh when in power and outside, would confront each other in the belt of Ganga-Yamuna in the fight for space against Mayawati and Mulayam Singh Yadav.

A full-scale confrontation between the government and the Opposition is visible ahead of the Monsoon Session of Parliament.

The war on corruption has become the political flavour of the season with the Congress and the BJP intensifying their attacks against each other on the issue. While the Congress plans to puncture the BJP’s corruption plank by targeting saffron chief ministers to demolish the BJP’s Generation Next leaders, the main Opposition has virtually put the Centre in the dock on the issue.

The Congress has deferred plans to hold its chintan shivir (brainstorming session) in view of the developments inside and outside the UPA and corruption becoming a major issue.

A comparison has begun between Baba Ramdev and Anna Hazare in the political circles after the two have virtually shaken the government on the issues of black money and corruption. Their action plan suggest that political parties in power and outside, lack the determination to correct the system.

Political equations in Maharashtra appear to be changing, with dalits, especially neo-Buddhists, refusing to remain a vote bank of either one party or a front after realising that they failed to get their due even after remaining with the parties in power.