Zee Media Bureau/Ritesh K Srivastava
Ralegan Siddhi: Ralegan Siddhi, the venue of anti-graft crusader Anna Hazare`s indefinite hunger strike to press for a strong Jan Lokpal Bill, on Friday witnessed some unpleasant scenes when former Army chief VK Singh took a dig at the Arvind Kejriwal camp.
According to reports, Singh, who was sharing stage with Anna Hazare, said, "We shouldn`t split and form different groups in our fight against corruption. We can`t win the battle against corruption by remaining divided. There are some who think they are even bigger than Anna (in a veiled reference to Arvind Kejiwal)"
Hearing this, the AAP leader raised objections to Singh`s remarks and interrupted his speech.
"Someone who deserted Anna and joined hands with Narendra Modi is accusing others of betrayal, " Rai reacted.
"We are disappointed when people on the podium praise Modi for gaining tickets, we are here to talk only about Janlokpal, " Rai reminded Singh, which led to a heated argument between him and Singh.
Sensing the situation, Hazare then asked Gopal Rai to immediately leave Ralegan Siddhi .
"We haven`t not asked you to sit on a fast here with us, if you want to create such noise then you can leave Ralegan Siddhi," Hazare told the AAP member.
Meanwhile, MNS today lent support to Hazare over the Lokpal issue.
MNS leader Bala Nandgaonkar, who left for the village today, said he would be meeting Hazare to extend his party`s support.
"We feel that the cause taken up by Anna is right. We request parties opposed to the bill to extend their support to the legislation," Nandgaonkar said.
Hazare`s associate and former IPS officer Kiran Bedi is expected to join Anna`s fast from tomorrow. "People should dislodge the government through ballot if the bill is not passed in this session," she had said earlier.
The government has said it is serious about passing the ombudsman bill in the winter session, but Hazare has declared that he won`t call off the fast till the bill is passed.
