New Delhi:
Anna Hazare is back in action. The anti-graft activist, who is in Delhi, met supporters and representatives of social organisations yesterday for the first time since his Team Anna split. This was after the 75-year-old made another veiled attack on former close aide Arvind Kejriwal, saying, "politics is not the right path to take."
Anna also said that he will announce a new course of action later today. According to sources, the new Team Anna movement will take shape under former IPS officer Kiran Bedi after Mr Kejriwal's exit.
With speculation regarding a rift doing the rounds for several months, Team Anna split a few weeks ago. Since then, Anna has displayed his displeasure over Mr Kejriwal's decision to form a political party several times. First he warned Mr Kejriwal, once considered Anna's right-hand man, against using his name or picture in political campaigns. This week, Anna wrote in his blog, "Some people are saying they will not fight elections if Anna says so, but they still are....The movement has been affected because some people want to go the political way."
Sources have told NDTV that the Kejriwal-led group doesn't agree with Anna that going the political way has affected the anti-graft movement. In fact, they are of the view that it is the constant Anna vs Kejriwal headlines that have had an adverse impact, sources said.
NDTV has also learnt that despite Mr Hazare's recent remarks, Mr Kejriwal's camp, which also includes Prashant Bhushan and Manish Sisodia among others, is unlikely to react. In fact, sources say that the team is focused on launching their political party with plans, on October 2, to share suggestions sent to them from people across the country regarding the name of the proposed party as also its constitution.
Sources in Mr Kejriwal's group have also said that launching a political party was Anna's idea, which the Gandhian denies.
"I did not give an alternative. When I was told that an alternative has to be given, I said it is a good idea but I asked them to answer my 5-6 questions (on how to provide an alternative). But I did not get those answers," he told reporters on Sunday.
Anna, in his blog post too, has emphatically declared that he would not form a political party or join any other political group. "For the last 20 years, I have been part of civil society movement and in future also I will remain so. We have parted ways but our goal is the same," he wrote.