Zeenews Bureau
Gurgaon: In an apparent indication of growing rift in Anna Hazare’s camp, Arvind Kejriwal, a close aide of the Gandhian activist, on Monday announced that Swami Agnivesh will no longer be a part of Team Anna.
Kejriwal, while briefing press reporters on Anna Hazare’s health condition said, “We have cut off all relations with Swami Agnviesh and he will no longer be a part of the group led by the noted social activist.”
Kejriwal further informed that after his recovery, Anna will straight away go to his model village Ralegaon Siddhi in Maharashtra, where team Anna will chalk out the future course of strategy on the Lokpal Bill.
The announcement has confirmed the reports of growing differences between key members of Team Anna. The cracks in Team Anna first appeared on Friday, when Justice Santosh Hegde and Swami Agnivesh demanded that the Gandhian activist should end his hunger strike.
Hegde, also member of the joint drafting committee on Lokpal Bill, strongly disapproved of Hazare's insistence on "having his way" in Parliament, saying, "I feel I am not in Team Anna any more by the way things are going. These (telling Parliament what to do) are not democratic things."
Asking Hazare to call off his fast that entered the 11th day on Friday, Agnivesh also made it clear that any appearance of threats to Parliament is not becoming of a Gandhian.
"This is some sort of...seen as a threat to Parliament 'you do it by tomorrow or day after'. This is not becoming of a Gandhian fast or a moment. So this was the right moment to call it off," Agnivesh said.
First Published: Monday, August 29, 2011, 16:11