Self-styled Gandhian Anna Hazare’s attempt to unite the Opposition against the government received a jolt with CPI national secretary D. Raja pointing a finger at him for “paving the way for emergence of authoritarianism and fascism”. Even CPI general secretary A.B. Bardhan, who attended Mr Hazare’s Jantar Mantar rally on December

Ending the fifth leg of his state-wide Seva Yatra amid growing criticism from the Opposition parties, Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar returned to Patna on Saturday and self-assuredly emphasised the sustained usefulness of his on-the-spot inspection of development schemes in several districts.

About a dozen prominent minority community leaders in the Congress are yet to get a role in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, expected early next year.
The reports coming from UP are encouraging with Bahujan Samaj Party supremo and chief minister Mayawati recognising the Congress as her party’s main rival in the coming electoral battle.

After wooing Brahmins, OBCs and dalits, the ruling Bahujan Samaj Party is Uttar Pradesh will extend its hand to Muslims, Thakurs and Vaishyas at a rally in the state capital on Sunday. The rally is part of the party’s strategy to consolidate its sarvjan (all castes) formula that had catapulted it to power in 2007. The BSP will be focusing on three vote banks that are believed to have shifted to other parties in recent months.

With Anna Hazare on Saturday saying that doubts have arisen over whether the Lokpal bill will be passed by December 23, his volunteers in Mumbai are gearing up for his proposed indefinite fast on December 27. This agitation will see initiatives such as “Anna badges and masks” as Christmas trees ornaments along with utilisation of local trains as “Jan Lokpal Express trains” to spread awareness about the cause.

Addressing a 50,000-strong gathering here on Saturday, Congress president Sonia Gandhi spoke at length about how her party was sensitive towards Goa’s environment — something which the local Congress has been repeatedly criticised about, given the illegal mining scam.

At least 60 volunteers from different reputed organisations will help the illiterate Tihar inmates learn basic reading and writing skills.
The volunteers include housewives, students, retired professors, doctors, engineers, chartered accountants and employees with MNCs.

Senior BJP leader and former finance minister Yashwant Sinha has become the latest victim of harassment on cyberspace as it has turned out that he has been receiving hate mail from the last two months.

The Congress government in the city completed its third year on December 16. Leader of the Opposition in Delhi Assembly Prof. Vijay Kumar Malhotra slammed the Delhi government for its failures on various fronts during its 13 years of rule.

A Delhi government hospital doctor was sent to jail for three years by a city court for demanding and accepting bribe to give a clear autopsy report of a road accident victim.