Zeenews Bureau
New Delhi: As Team Anna’s fast at Delhi's Jantar Mantar entered fourth day on Saturday, social activist Anna Hazare exclusively told Zee News that crores of rupees are being spent by the government to create differences between his team members.
Hitting out at the government for continuously trying to malign his team members, Anna Hazare said, “Team members Shanti Bhushan, Arvind Kejriwal, Kiran Bedi and myself have been repeatedly targeted. Even the Salman Khurshid episode was orchestrated by the government to create differences in the team.”
The anti-corruption crusader confirmed that he will join his team members on an indefinite fast from tomorrow. Team Anna members Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia and Gopal Rai are sitting on an indefinite fast from July 25. Notably, the Gandhian has been advised by doctors not to go ahead with fast due to health concerns.
Commenting on the low turnout at the protest site, Hazare said that that size of the crowd does not matter. “The ‘andolan’ is going on in 550 districts, so it is not correct to say that the crowd is huge or less.”
When asked about joining hands with yoga guru Baba Ramdev, the anti-corruption crusader said, “Myself and Ramdevji are united in the fight against black money and Jan Lokpal Bill. We had decided that he will come and support our movement and similarly we will also go to Ramlila Maidan on August 9 to support his movement.”
On Team Anna’s plans on 2014 General Elections, the anti-corruption crusader clarified that his team has no plans to fight elections.
“Good people should be elected to Parliament. If people who have clean image and have done good for the society decide to contest elections, then they will be supported by me. Jan Lokpal Bill can only be passed if such people get elected to Parliament.”
On the accusations that he and his team have been criticising the Congress party only and not targeting other political parties, Hazare said, “It is wrong to say such things as his past agitations in Maharashtra had led to the downfall of six ministers and a few of them were from the BJP as well.”
This time around there has been a lukewarm response to Team Anna’s agitation, contrary to what the nation witnessed last year in April and August, when lakhs of people took to the streets to lend their support to Lokpal movement.
Baba Ramdev, who extended his support to Team Anna’s movement and also shared the dais with Anna Hazare yesterday, is scheduled to visit the protest site today also.
"We will support whoever fights against corruption. This fight is to protect the country," he said yesterday.
The empty areas of the stand at Jantar Mantar overflowed with people as Ramdev arrived at around 4 pm on Friday after inspecting the Ramlila Ground - the site for his agitation starting August 9 - and vowed support to Team Anna's protest action.
There were only about 400 people at 12 noon, contrary to the thousands that had turned out at Team Anna's earlier agitations in Delhi.
First Published: Saturday, July 28, 2012, 11:32