Hazare is on a five-week Maharashtra tour.

Hazare’s assistant Suresh Pathare said a group of people first threw stones and then shouted slogans in support of Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi.

“However, the attack was on the vehicle that we used for sale of books. Nobody is hurt. Anna and other crew are safe. Do not worry,” he said.

Nagpur police, however, denied any information about the incident.

Earlier in the day, Hazare’s convoy was shown flack flags at some places.

Hazare began his Maharashtra tour from Shirdi May 1 to create awareness on the need for a strong lokayukta legislation in the state. His tour will end June 6.

Article source: http://economictimes.feedsportal.com/fy/8av2EvU0ZfucW2Nm/story01.htm

NAGPUR: As Anna Hazare arrived in the summer heat of Nagpur on Wednesday, he announced that his next big campaign would be against the Maharashtra government’s failure to tackle the water crisis. Speaking to reporters, the anti-graft crusader said, “After I finish my current tour, I will meet with chief minister Prithviraj Chavan and question him about the water crisis. I will also present evidence of corruption in that department.” Hazare said that if Chavan failed to take immediate action, he will again start a major campaign in the state against this.

Hazare said both drinking and irrigation water shortages are a direct result of the inefficiency of the government machinery. “We are spending so much money on various water projects but about 50% of them have come to a standstill. In our state, not even 12% of the land is irrigated and the government keeps on announcing new schemes. The same contractors are used all the time because politicians are involved with them to siphon off funds,” said Hazare.

He criticized the government’s “focus on dam projects” when self-sufficiency can be brought at the village level. “Make every village the centre of a new project where soil and water conservation will be taught and implemented. Digging borewells deep and hand pumps will go a long way to solve the problem, but unfortunately many of our projects are fraught with technical faults which make these hand pumps useless,” Hazare said.

The Gandhian addressed a 10,000-strong crowd at Chitnis Park in the evening and was at his acerbic best while taking pot shots at politicians. “The people of this country need a political alternative which can be trusted. Even if the current party goes, the others too will be like them. One has done graduation in corruption and the other will complete their doctorate. I will never start a political outfit but if the public chooses a consensus candidate, then I will certainly support them,” said the activist said.

He stressed on the need for a strong Lokpal Bill and the need for an independent Lokayukta at the state level. “We need to decentralize power in our country and Lokayukta will ensure that. Every state will have the Lokayukta machinery to deal with corruption cases, and it will have the power to send them to jail as well,” said Anna.

He further added, “If Lokpal had been implemented, then our home minister P Chidambaram would have been in jail. We see many scams that are being unearthed due to Right To Information (RTI) Act but it still has not reached its logical end. Hence, people need a stronger tool, like the Lokpal with a provision for Lokayukta, to root out corruption.”

Anna also said that changes in the electoral system are necessary for better governance. “Right To Reject should be an option for voters while casting their ballot, and if more than 50% exercise that option, elections should be cancelled. New polls with new candidates should be held and this will ensure that the bad elements are filtered out from the system,” said Anna. He, however, added that Right To Recall is a concept whose time is yet to come, but will nevertheless be an important tool for bringing electoral change.

Article source: http://timesofindia.feedsportal.com/fy/8at2EtY0Zg9dG2Nn/story01.htm

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Nagpur, May 17 : Around 15 people, believed to be workers of the youth wing of the Congress party, have been detained in Nagpur for pelting stones at a car belonging to veteran social activist Anna Hazare’s trust.

The Youth Congress workers allegedly attacked the car, breaking its windows, before a rally by Hazare apparently because the it was carrying booklets that criticised Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi.

According to reports, the attackers attacked the the Scorpio SUV with stones near Chitnis Park and then picking up the books, they began shouting slogans in support of Rahul Gandhi and Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

However, Hazare, who was travelling in another car reached the rally location safely and was later quoted as saying that he was unaware of any booklets that were derogatory to the Congress top leadership.

“A vehicle accompanying Anna’s car carrying books and material for ongoing Maharashtra tour has been attacked, windows broken. Annaji is safe,” former police officer and Hazare associate Kiran Bedi said on Twitter.

“…Hope a report has been lodged in the area police station. And hope the police does a fair investigation to identify culprits,” she said on the micro-blogging website.

Leaders of the Congress party, that leads the ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA) coalition at the Centre, have been subject to protests by Hazare and his followers over their supposed disinterest in pushing for the anti-corruption Lokpal Bill.

The Maharashtra state Youth Congress president Vishwajeet Kadam reportedly said that the protests were “justified”, media reports said even though Nagpur city and district Congress president, Jaiprakash Gupta denied involvement of party workers. (IBNS)

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Article source: http://www.newkerala.com/news/newsplus/worldnews-22046.html

Article source: http://timesofindia.feedsportal.com/fy/8at2EtY0ZfqCQ2Nk/story01.htm

Nagpur:  Around 15 men demonstrating outside the venue of Anna Hazare’s public meeting in Nagpur were detained on Wednesday night by police, even as the Maharashtra state Youth Congress president Vishwajeet Kadam reportedly “justified” the protest.

The men were demonstrating against the circulation of a booklet allegedly containing some remarks against Congress president Sonia Gandhi and party general secretary Rahul Gandhi, though it is not clear whether the protestors were Congress workers, police said.

The said booklet was allegedly distributed on Wednesday by some unidentified persons at Bhandara, about 65 km from here, during Mr Hazare’s visit there.

The men were holding booklets in their hands and shouting slogans even as the Gandhian was addressing the public meeting inside the Chitnis Park Stadium when police rounded them up from outside the venue, they said.

Meanwhile, when asked by reporters, Mr Hazare “denied” knowledge of any such booklet being circulated and sought to distance himself from the incident.

Even as the identity of the protesters remained unclear, Maharashtra Youth Congress president Vishawajeet Kadam told a private television channel that the agitation was “justified” in the wake of the names of Sonia and Rahul Gandhi being “unnecessarily tossed up by some people”.

However, when contacted by PTI, Nagpur city and district Congress president, Jaiprakash Gupta denied involvement of Congress workers saying “the protesters could have been from outside the city”.

Mr Hazare’s aide Suresh Pathare told a news channel that a Youth Congress worker from Satara was involved in stone pelting one of the vehicles of the activist’s convoy parked near the stadium. Police, however, denied it.

According to sources in the Police Control Room, after addressing the media at Patrakar Bhawan in Dhantoli, Mr Hazare straightway left for the state Guest House at Civil Lines and not to the venue of the public meeting at Mahal, and there was no question of stone pelting on his convoy.

In the afternoon, some unidentified youths waved black flags at Mr Hazare’s convoy at a couple of places in the city, while some protesters threw anti-Hazare handbills near Panchsheel Cinema in Ramdaspeth area.

The anti-graft crusader, however, addressed the public meeting in the evening unfazed. Mr Hazare embarked on the Maharashtra tour from May 1 for spreading awareness among people about the need for enacting a strong anti-corruption ombudsman.

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