Thursday, August 18, 2011

Hazare to go to Ramlila Maidan tomorrow



Anna Hazare will launch his protest at Ramlila Maidan tomorrow as the venue is yet to get readied for the fast and will stay for one more night in Tihar Jail, activist Arvind Kejriwal said.

"I spoke to Annaji. In view of the conditions at Ramlila Maidan, Annaji will reach Ramlila Maidan tomorrow," Kejriwal said.

Another Hazare associate Kiran Bedi said the Gandhian will not move out of Tihar Jail till he embarks on his journey to Ramlila Maidan to launch the protest.

Hazare reached an agreement with government early this morning on the protest venue and the conditions.


As soon as Hazare announced that he would move to Ramlila, MCD which owns the ground deployed around 100 workers to clean the facility but the work was so massive that they could not finish it by the afternoon as desired by the Gandhian's team.

Earlier, Bedi had said that Hazare will go to the Maidan after 3 pm today.


Hazare was lodged in Tihar Jail on Tuesday evening after he was detained for going ahead with his plans to defy prohibitory orders in J P Park here. However, he was released later but he refused to come out of the prison demanding that there should not be any restrictions on his protest.


After hard bargaining for two days, Hazare and government reached an agreement early this morning under which Delhi Police removed all restrictions and allowed him to carry out his hunger strike for 15 days in the spacious Ramlila Maidan.

The breakthrough came in the wee hours of the day after top aides of Hazare met Delhi Police Commissioner B K Gupta.

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

India against corruption: Anna Hazare arrested by Delhi Police ahead of fast


Anna Hazare courted arrest after being detained by Delhi Police at his residence in Mayur Vihar ahead of his indefinite fast on Tuesday.

Senior officers of Delhi Police reached Anna Hazare's flat early in the morning and informed him that he could not leave his home. However, Hazare turned down the request following which he was detained.

"We have detained him as he did not budge from his position of defying prohibitory orders," police official said.


Anna in his addresses to the nation before his arrest asked his supporters not to stop the agitation. He urged the protesters to remain peaceful.

He added: "I appeal to you that let there be no violence in this movement. I also appeal to you, young and old alike, to give eight days of your life to the nation - if necessary for a jail bharo andolan."

Arvind Kejriwal, Kiran Bedi and Manish Sisodia were also taken into preventive custody by the Delhi Police.


"This is exactly what happened during emergency. Emergency has revisited the country. This detention is unconstitutional and undemocratic," said Kiran Bedi while courting arrest at Raj Ghat.

According to sources, Anna is being taken to Officers' mess, Civil Lines in Delhi.

Ahead of the proposed fast by the Gandhian, a group of people had thronged the east Delhi apartment where Hazare was staying to pledge their support to his protest.

Security personnel, including some in plain clothes and some from the special branch, were deployed around the apartment premise.

Around 500 police personnel have been deployed from early morning itself after the city police imposed Section 144 around the park, police sources said.

Late Monday, at least 50 supporters of Anna Hazare were detained at Jai Prakash Narain Park, the venue of the anti-graft crusader's planned fast, for defying prohibitory orders clamped in the area.

Gandhian Anna Hazare was arrested Tuesday for refusing to abide by conditions imposed by police regarding his proposed hunger strike, Home Minister P. Chidambaram said Tuesday.

He told reporters that when Delhi Police imposed certain conditions, Team Anna refused to embrace them.

"If someone says we will defy the orders, I think this is unacceptable in a democracy," he said. "It is a real regret that police have taken this action."

"This government is not against democratic or peaceful protests," he said. "Democratic or peaceful protests are a part of the right of a free citizen.

"We acknowledge that right but that right is subject to conditions laid down by authorities charged with the duty to maintain law and order."

The supporters of the Gandhian were taken in a police bus to a nearby police station, police said.

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Omman Chandi's corruption revealed - vigilance court here yesterday ordered the state vigilance department to launch a fresh probe into the role of Chief Minister Oommen Chandy in the infamous 1992 palm oil import case


Vigilance court here yesterday ordered the state vigilance department to launch a fresh probe into the role of Chief Minister Oommen Chandy in the infamous 1992 palm oil import case. Chandy was the finance minister in the K Karunakaran government when the deal to import 15,000 tonnes of palm oil was struck.

The case was registered in 1999 during the EK Nayanar-led government term. Former chief minister K Karunakaran, the then minister TH Mustafa and bureaucrats PJ Thomas and Jiji Thompson were charged with causing Rs 2.32cr loss to the state exchequer by importing oil from Malaysia at an enhanced price.


Thomas, whose appointment as CVC was quashed by the Supreme Court, was the food secretary and one of the directors of the state civil supplies corporation. Karunakaran was the first accused in the case hut his name was deleted from the list after his demise.
The case was reopened earlier this year by the VS Achuthanandan government after Mustafa filed a petition asking the court that he also be allowed to go free as Chandy has not been named in the case.

After a hurried investigation, vigilance department submitted the report giving a clean chit to Chandy on May 13-the day the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) won the assembly polls.

When special vigilance court judge PK Haneefa gave the order yesterday, Chandy was busy in his conference hall discussing about the developments of the three state airports.


Soon, with the news spreading about the court directive, his cabinet colleagues and party leaders made a beeline to his office.
Later, standing with his cabinet and party colleagues at the state secretariat, Chandy said he had conveyed his stand on the development to the party high command.


"When my name came up earlier in connection with the case, I had conveyed my stand to the party high command. I have apprised the party central leadership of my views on today's development also," Chandy, said.

The judge asked the vigilance and anti-corruption bureau to submit the probe reRs port within three months.


The court dismissed the early report considering three things. Oommen Chandy, who was the financial minister then, had signed in the direction forwarded by Musthafa wanting to include palmoil import as a special subject in the cabinet meet. Next, the file relating to the import was in the finance minister's office for one and half months and thirdly Chandy was aware of levying a 15 % service tax.

Leader of Opposition VS Achuthanandan was quick to react and asked for Chandy's resignation.

"With today's verdict, he will have to go," the Marxist leader said.
Emerging after a 90-minute discussion with his colleagues, state Congress president Ramesh Chennithala said the verdict appears strange. "We never said anything when that probe was announced. There has been no indictment on Chandy and there's no word that he is an accused. We will face it and the question of a resignation does not arise at all," said Chennithala.

Deputy opposition leader of the House Kodiyeri Balakrishnan said that in the light of the court order, a fresh probe by the same vigilance department will not be very helpful.

"The present vigilance department director should quit. With Chandy himself holding the vigilance portfolio, he should give up the portfolio. It must be recalled that former central vigilance commissioner PJ Thomas had to step down because he is an accused in the case," said Balakrishnan.