Will end fast only if Parl debates 'unacceptable' clauses: Anna

New Delhi:

Anti-corruption campaigner Anna Hazare swore not to end his fast unless he has written assurance from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that three of his key demands will be immediately debated in Parliament.
Hazare also said he might withdraw his fast, but not the agitation from Ramlila Maidan till a complete picture emerges on the anti-graft Bill.
Hazare wants assurance that Parliament would immediately discuss the modalities in bringing the lower bureaucracy under Lokpal, the citizens' charter and the setting up of state Lokayuktas.
After Singh appealed to Hazare to end his public hunger strike and proposed that Parliament debate his Bill, the Gandhian wrote down his demands in a letter, which was taken to Manmohan Singh by former Maharashtra and seasoned Anna pacifier Vilasrao Deshmukh.
In a provocative speech at the Ramlila grounds in the evening, Hazare also asked protesters to court arrest and picket in front of ministers' houses till his demands are met.

Nationwide protest against Anna's detention

People across India take to the streets to protest against the detention of social activist Anna Hazare and his supporters in New Delhi. 

 

Kolkata
Following Anna's detention, an NGO "Help us Help them" is going to observe a silent protest in the city  "This is horrid and unacceptable. It is against our democratic polity. We
are all free to demonstrate in a peaceful manner. Anna is fighting for our country, for the well being of all its citizens. We should all unite to support him. Our NGO is supporting his cause. We will be having a peaceful demonstration today," said Mukti Gupta, the secretary of the organisation. The youngsters of the city have also planned to support the protest. "Anna came as a special guest in a television show on Friday. He requested all the Indians to support him by standing out of their houses at 8pm today. My friends and I have decided to follow his wishes," said Priyanka Sau, a resident of Bally in Howrah district.

Chennai
People in Chennai gathered to support social activist Anna Hazare's demand for a strong anti-corruption bill, said the India Against Corruption (IAC), which backs the leader. "With Anna Hazare being detained by Delhi Police, we will soon decide on the issue of courting arrest," media coordinator for IAC Bhavana Upadhyaya told IANS. Freedom fighter Lakshmikanthan Bharathi, 85, began his fast. Ninety-year-old Venkata Kalyanam, former personal secretary to Mahatma Gandhi, is also expected to join. Corporate executives, software professionals, media artistes and small businessmen are at the venue of fast in south Chennai, Upadhyaya said.

Uttar Pradesh
Anna Hazare's early morning arrest in Delhi, before he could begin his fast to press for anti-graft lokpal bill, was widely condemned across Uttar Pradesh, people going on indefinite fast, lawyers not turning up for work and academicians joining protests.  Five people in the state capital have gone on a fast-unto-death at the Jhulelal Park near the Lucknow University, in support of Hazare's anti-corruption movement. People were seen singing patriotic songs at Lucknow's Jhulelal Park, holding protests, raising slogans against the government, burning effigies of senior union ministers. In Allahabad, the entire court work had to be stopped as lawyers either didn't turn up for work and those who did, were all in support of Hazare. In Agra, Shaheed Smarak in Sanjay Place was the focal point of the agitation that took shape. The supporters came on their own and gathered at platform while raising slogan. Traders, students, social activists and even a common man were outraged by Anna's arrest in Varanasi. Hundreds of members of the local unit of India Against Corruption assembled at the Collectorate in protest against Anna's arrest.

Himachal Pradesh
Several activists began an indefinite hunger strike in Himachal Pradesh's Mandi town to press for a strong anti-corruption lokpal bill and express solidarity with civil society leader Anna Hazare, who was detained early morning."As per the scheduled programme, we have started our fast in support of a strong Lokpal bill. Since police have arrested Anna, we have decided to go as per previous plan. If needed, we will court arrest," RTI activist Lawan Thakur told IANS from Mandi.He said Anna's arrest was regrettable and condemnable.

Maharashtra
Residents of Anna Hazare's village Ralegan Siddhi took to the streets to protest the detention of the anti-corruption crusader in New Delhi. There were demonstrations in Pune and Mumbai too. Scores of people trooped out of their homes soon after news of the arrest of Hazare and his team members reached the village, about 230 km from Mumbai. There was a spontaneous shutdown in the village.Flaying the arrests, many villagers, including women, marched to the local Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation bus depot and raised slogans against the government. The state police had deployed tight security in the village and all the roads leading to it from Pune, Ahmednagar, Aurangabad and Nashik. While thousands of activists staged a march in Pune, a large number of protestors started gathering near Dadar in Mumbai to chart out the further course of action.The main agitation is planned at Azad Maidan in Mumbai later Tuesday where prominent activists, including Medha Patkar, are expected to congregate.

Orissa
Hundreds of Hazare's supporters held deomonstrations and rallies in protest against his arrest in Bhubaneswar and other cities of Orissa. In Bhubaneswar, senior citizens, lawyers, social activists and students held demonstrations at several places to show their solidarity with Hazare. "Hazare's arrest reminds one of the emergency in 1975 when democratic rights were throttled by the political establishment," said Rabi Das, convenor of Jan Sammelani. In Sambapur, about 300 activists held a motorcycle rally demanding Hazare's release and a strong janlokpal bill.

Chhattisgarh
Students, office workers and homemakers were among the scores of people who stepped out in Chhattisgarh, with as many as 80 of them reportedly courting arrest to protest the arrest of activist Anna Hazare in New Delhi. People gathered at the Budha Talab area soon after television channels flashed the news of Delhi Police whisking Hazare away as he was about to begin his fast-unto-death for a strong lokpal bill. After demonstrations at Budha Talab, protests spread to the state's industrial towns Bhilai, Raigarh, Korba, besides Bilaspur, Ambikapur and Jagdalpur.

Holding placards pledging support to Hazare, people from various walks of life and age groups held demonstrations at district headquarters of all the 18 districts, condemning the Congress-led government's decision to arrest Anna.

Kerala Tourist Places

http://www.keralatourism.org/pictures/

Troop Withdrawal Will Aid ‘Nation-Building’: Obama

 
President Barack Obama, announcing a reduction of 33,000 troops in Afghanistan by September 2012, said it was “time to focus on nation-building at home” and offered a “centered course” for U.S. military engagement that he said would be rooted in pragmatism.

In a nationally televised speech, Obama sought to balance the demands of the military, which wanted to avoid a rapid withdrawal, and the sentiments of many Americans, who polls show think the war is no longer worth waging.

“We are starting this drawdown from a position of strength,” Obama said last night in the East Room of the White House. “The tide of war is receding.”

Obama’s plan would withdraw 10,000 troops before the end of this year and an additional 23,000 -- the remainder of last year’s troop surge -- as the 2012 presidential election campaign kicks into high gear.

The president in 2009 ordered deployment of the additional forces to quell a growing Taliban insurgency, and he said last night that the goals set out then largely have been accomplished. Even with the withdrawals, the U.S. will have roughly 68,000 troops in Afghanistan, about twice as many as were there when Obama was elected in 2008. Also in the country are more than 40,000 personnel from 48 other nations, which are making plans to pull back as well.

http://www.lentoeluvathingal.blogspot.com/

What an idea

Truth About Facebook UsersSource



THRISSUR POORAM IMAGES

CPM slams NSS for anti-Achuthanandan comment

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala state secretary Pinarayi Viajayan on Friday came down on the Nair Service Society (NSS) acting General Secretary G Sukumaran Nair for using "adverse comments" against Chief Minister Minister V S Achuthanandan.

"The adverse comments made by Nair against Achuthandnan were quite unbecoming of Kerala culture. He should withdraw the abusive language he used to attack the Chief Minister", Vijayan said in an article in the party daily Deshabhimani.
"Unleashing attacks, using abusive words and expressions against rivals is heinous and deplorable. This is especially so in the case of those holding responsible positioins. Those who indulge in such acts are only discrediting themselves before the public," Vijayan said.

Indian World Cup 2011 squad: Sreesanth, Rohit Sharma, Ojha dropped

The BCCI on Monday announced the 15-member Indian squad for the 2011 World Cup beginning from February 19. The team comprises seven batsmen, one all-rounder, four pacers and three specialist spinners

 

Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina have been retained from the present team on a tour of South Africa. Vice-captain Virender Sehwag, who had opted out of the ODI series in South Africa, has made a return for cricket's biggest event.

Zaheer Khan, Munaf Patel, Praveen Kumar and Ashish Nehra will take care of pace-bowling while Harbhajan, R. Ashwin and Piyush Chawla form the spinners' trio.Yusuf Pathan has been handed the all-rounder's job. Wicket-keeping has been entrusted entirely to captain M.S. Dhoni. Those who failed to find a place in the team include spinner Pragyan Ojha, pacer S. Sreesanth and all-rounder Rohit Sharma. The selection panel, headed by chief selector K. Srikkanth, chose the team out of a list of 30 probables. Dhoni and coach Gary Kirsten, who are currently busy with the ODI series in South Africa, were also part of the consultations done through teleconferencing.

 

The 15-member team is:

 

• MS Dhoni (C)
• Sachin Tendulkar
• Virender Sehwag
• Gautam Gambhir
• Yuvraj Singh
• Suresh Raina
• Virat Kohli
• Yusuf Pathan (all-rounder)
• Zaheer Khan
• Ashish Nehra
• Munaf Patel
• Praveen Kumar
• Harbhajan Singh
• R. Ashwin
• Piyush Chawla

Chief selector K. Srikkanth said a well-balanced team had been picked up keeping in mind the ground and wicket conditions in the sub-continent. "We have selected the best combination after consultations with the captain and the coach. I am confident the team will win the World Cup for us," Srikkanth said in Chennai. He brushed aside concerns over fitness of the players, saying: "Every team has injury concerns. Why worry about it?"

 

Five new Malayalam channels announce their arrival

The already populated Malayalam channel scene in television will have to make room as five more channels have announced their arrival.

The Indian Union Muslim League announced the launch of its channel named Channel IBC (Independent Broadcasting Council). Channel IBC will be a full time news channel and be initially available in the MPEG-4 format for cable television subscribers. In a second phase expansion, IBC will become a satellite channel.

Following the footsteps of Malayala Manorama, Kerala Kaumudi and Mathrubhumi are also launching news channels.

Politician and former Congress leader K Muraleedharan, has announced the launch of a new television channel named Janapriya Communications. The launch is however put on hold.

An entertainment channel from Manorama TV and a news channel in Malayalam from the Sun Network are also expected to start operations in the state soon.

Asianet, in 1993, became the first private channel broadcasting in Malayalam. Since then the industry has seen new entries and currently, there are nine TV channels broadcasting in the state.

Amala Paul

She is cute and good acting in "Maina" movie...

X'mas evening in Church

Visit Bible Tower with friends