The Anna Hazare camp appears to have undergone a sea change from its Jantar Mantar protest days to the Rajghat show of strength on Wednesday. The India Against Corruption, spearheading the Lokpal agitation, is no more shy of showing its anguish at the Congress in a departure from regular letters that Hazare used to send to UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi from Jantar Mantar.

Upping the ante, Anna Hazare on Wednesday again reiterated the August 15 deadline for passage of the Lokpal Bill, failing which he would initiate another hungerstrike for “second freedom struggle”.

Launching the National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM) here, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Friday called for social audit of all government schemes to ensure people’s participation as well as administrative accountability in their implementation. The NRLM seeks to ensure self-employment among families belonging to below poverty line (BPL) category.

The capital’s famous Ramlila Grounds that have witnessed many a huge and political rally in the past is now being prepared for a “political show” of a different kind. It’s bustling with activity as scores of men work in the scorching Delhi summer to ready it for the fast unto death that yoga guru Baba Ramdev has threatened to go on just three days from now.

Amid drafting of the Land Acquisition (Amendment) Bill gaining momentum, Union rural development minister Vilasrao Deshmukh has said that the “public purpose” will be categorically defined in the legislation. Even against the stated opposition of Trinamul Congress chief Mamata Banerjee in any kind of government role in land

Amid suggestions pouring in from all sides on the proposed Land Acquisition (Amendment) Bill, the Union rural development ministry officials are deliberating to invoke food security concerns as central theme for the proposed land legislation. The officials are seeking to incorporate success stories of the Forest Conservation Act to ensure that the size of the irrigated agricultural land does not shrink to jeopardise food security.

As top leaders of the Congress brainstorm to fine-tune strategy for next year’s UP Assembly elections in Varanasi for two days, a section of the party leaders are calling upon the high command to forge a pre-poll alliance with the Ajit Singh-led RLD, Apna Dal and Ulema Council at the earliest.

Three persons, including two policemen, were killed when a farmers’ agitation against land acquisition turned violent on Saturday afternoon at village Bhatta in Greater Noida, nearly 100 km from the national capital.

Planning Commission deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia on Wednesday told chief minister Sheila Dikshit that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh would be informed about the urgency to take up the issue of shortage of water in the capital after Ms Dikshit told the plan panel that “radical measures” are needed to deal with the increasing water shortage in the city.

The JD(U) is staking claim on a minimum of 53 seats to contest next year’s UP Assembly poll in alliance with the BJP. The central leadership of the two parties would soon hold talks to give a final shape to the seat agreement for the UP polls.