Mumbai: Former IPS officer Kiran Bedi on Monday indicated her priorities by stating that the need of the hour is to get the more corrupt out, work with the less corrupt and then think of a third force, which could be Arvind Kejriwal's ''anti-corruption movement''.
Kiran Bedi was trying her best to justify why she was distancing herself from Kejriwal. While she ''respected'' Kejriwal's decision, she said that she was not a part of the political outfit.
"It's exactly like Anna. Anna is not a part of the political outfit," she added.
Bedi said the country desperately needs the Jan Lokpal Bill and the Right to Reject.
"The movement started with the focus of getting the Jan Lokpal Bill, then Anna added the Right to Reject. The country desperately needs an independent Jan Lokpal Bill, which sets the CBI free of any political management. And this country needs the Right to Reject, the most, because between two political parties who may be both perceived to be corrupt, whom you elect, you need to reject candidates. Unless you reject, there will be no space for a third component," said Bedi.
According to reports, Kiran Bedi may be willing to work with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Her reasoning was "We have to get the more corrupt out, work with the less corrupt to get what we want." And may be, she said, ''create place for a third force, which could be Arvind Kejriwal's ''anti-corruption movement''.
Her advice to India Against Corruption movement was that it needs to go to the grassroots.
"Anna and people need to travel to the village levels and explain to people, what is this Lokpal Bill, why do we need a Right to Reject, why should you reject the candidates who have criminal record and corruption records; and then work with the party which is less corrupt," said Bedi.
Meanwhile, her priority was that the party, which will come to Parliament next year, "has to give an anti-corruption bill, has to give the Right to Reject because people are waiting."
Meanwhile, Arvind Kejriwal and four other members of India Against Corruption today accused the Delhi Police of harassing their supporters who participated in the August 26 protest against coal blocks allocation.
Kejriwal, Prashant Bhushan, Manish Sisodia, Gopal Rai, Kumar Vishwas and Sanjay Singh went to the Parliament Street Police Station this morning and met the Additional Commissioner.
Kejriwal prior to the meeting said that police was ''harassing'' the volunteers of India Against Corruption in the name of recording statements in connection with the cases registered on August 26 during their protest on coal block allocation. (ANI)
First Published: Monday, September 03, 2012, 16:21