"If Congress leaders think that they have crushed Anna's movement, they are wrong. Students also came forward to support Anna.
Professionals also joined the fight corruption started by Anna. Many government doctors, teachers and other professionals pledged support to Anna by tying black bands.
"Action taken by the Central government shows that Congress is a part and parcel of corruption. The district authorities claimed that none of the supporters of Anna have been arrested. Anna was an afterthought in anti-corruption crusadeAnna Hazare wasn’t always the leader in waiting, and a strong Lokpal Bill wasn’t the destination of the movement. Hazare was grafted onto the movement at the last stage — once the activists decided they needed a credible face to show the world. If the figure of Anna Hazare has become a larger-than-life symbol of the anti-corruption movement in India, the real story is a bit more complicated. Anna wasn’t always the leader in waiting, and a strong Lokpal Bill wasn’t the destination of the movement. Anna Hazare was grafted onto the movement at the last stage — once the activists decided they needed a credible face to show the world.
When the post of Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) fell vacant, Kejriwal and his associate Manish Sisodia started a campaign to promote the idea that the job should not be reserved for retired government servants. To promote Bedi, he launched a
Facebook campaign and even issued letters to the media and the government to build visibility. The common link between Kejriwal, Bedi and Anna? Apart from Anna Hazare, Bedi’s
In the event, the Bedi campaign flopped as the government ultimately opted for the safety of a retiring official,
Even as the campaign to catapult Bedi as CIC was petering out in the face of bureaucratic machinations, corruption was emerging centre-stage with the unveiling of the Niira Radia tapes.
Anna signed on to the Kejriwal-Bhushan plan and the group strategically decided that it would focus its attention on a strong Lokpal Bill. strategy was in place
As the government caved in to Team Anna’s demand for a joint drafting of the Lokpal Bill, Kejriwal and Bhushan realised that they were on to a good thing with Anna. Aided by TV, a sharp shift in public mood against politicians and their corruption, Team Anna was on its way to stardom.
Arresting a self-styled Gandhian hunger-striker on Aug. 16 was a foolish move by India. Manmohan Singh's government claims not to have directly requested Anna Hazare's brief detention, but the episode has cost it some credibility all the same. India's political sclerosis may now worsen. The white-clad 74-year-old has fasted over plans to create a new anti-corruption watchdog. Graft in India is often claimed to cost the Indian economy 1 percent to 2 percent of GDP a year. Singh has so far failed to act decisively on corruption. Anything that pushes corruption further up the agenda should augur well for India's markets, foreign investment and economic growth. CONTEXT NEWS
-- Protests erupted in cities across India over the detention of a self-styled Gandhian protester who undertook a hunger strike over stalled legislation on corruption, along with some 1,500 of his supporters.
-- Anna Hazare, a 74-year-old anti-graft campaigner, was arrested in Delhi on Aug. 16, and refused to leave prison after being freed within hours. -- Hazare's protests centred on the Lokpal Bill, a piece of unpassed legislation that would create a new anti-corruption ombudsman.