Zeenews Bureau
Ralegan Siddhi: Taking cue from past mistakes and fast waning popular support, anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare on Tuesday declared that Team Anna will not target the Congress government during its campaign for a strong Lokpal Bill in the five poll-bound states.
The veteran Gandhian also said that team Anna will tour all five-poll bound states extensively to create awareness among people about the Lokpal Bill.
Confirming the development, key Team Anna member Arvind Kejriwal said, “Anna Hazare ji has agreed to the Core Committee’s decision not to target any political party during our campaign for a strong Lokpal bill in five poll-bound states.”
“We have decided to tour all five poll-bound states,” he added.
To a question whether Anna Hazare will also campaign in these states, he said, “Anna has said once he recovers fully from his ailments, he will extend his support to the Lokpal campaign.”
Kejriwal also refuted allegations that Team Anna has suffered heavily due to its aggressive anti-Congress stance by saying, “We were never anti-Congress.”
The decision comes a day after the Core Committee of Team Anna yesterday met in Ghaziabad to assess the political situation and chalk out a plan on how to keep up the pressure over the Lokpal issue without targeting any political party.
The meeting came against the backdrop of poor public response to Hazare's agitation in Mumbai and Delhi in the last week of December and taunts from Congress on its anti-Congress plank.
Team Anna members Arvind Kejriwal and Prashant Bhushan also travelled to Hazare's village Relegan Siddhi in Maharashtra and apprised him of the outcome of the Core Committee's eight-hour meeting that took place yesterday.
The Lokpal movement has come to a faux pass after the UPA government evaded a vote on Lokpal Bill in Raj Sabha and Anna suspended his Mumbai fast due to ill health and poor public response.
First Published: Tuesday, January 10, 2012, 09:31