New Delhi: Indicating his disagreement over his anti-graft movement taking a political plunge, Anna Hazare on Friday said politics "will not bring change" and that to a large extent people believe there was no need to form a party or contest elections.
He made these remarks to a group of supporters, who met him in Maharashtra`s Ralegan Siddhi to apprise him of their meeting last Sunday which decided to urge him to take a leadership role to organise a new movement.
His close aide Suresh Pathare said the activists, led by Shivendra Singh Chouhan, opposed to forming a political party met Hazare and put forward their point. Hazare reiterated that he was not into forming party or contest polls.
In a video posted by the activists led by Chouhan in social networking sites, Hazare spoke the need for sending "good and honest" people to Parliament and increasing the vote percentage to 90 per cent for achieving this.
"How will we achieve this? We are not into party or groups. The movement will remain movement. The members of the movement will remain as they are. The change that will come through movement, politics will not bring that change. I am coming to this conclusion," he said in the video.
"... Some people are saying that a party should be formed. But to a large extent, many people are saying that it is not right to form a party or contest elections. There are discussions in this regard," he said.
Hazare`s comments came against the backdrop of a section of erstwhile Team Anna members led by Arvind Kejriwal conducting a survey to get public response regarding forming of a party.
Though there were plans to announce the formation of the party on Gandhi Jayanti, it may not happen on that day as Hazare expressed reservations and asked Kejriwal to get more response through surveys.
In the video, Hazare said Jai Prakash Narayan or Vinoba Bhave did not enter politics but ensured that their movements bring change to the country.
He appealed to various movements in the country to join hands to form a formidable force and ensure that good people enter Parliament. "There is no need to look at party or group for this," he said.
Chouhan, who had earlier opposed alleged attempts to turn the movement "Kejriwal-centric", told PTI that they apprised Hazare about their meeting in New Delhi last Sunday where it was decided to urge him to delink himself from Kejriwal and revive the "apolitical" anti-graft movement.
The erstwhile Team Anna was divided over the movement taking a political plunge and Kiran Bedi and Justice Santosh Hegde were among the prominent dissenting voices.
PTI
