Ralegan Siddhi, Maharashtra:
Amidst allegations of corruption plaguing his team, anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare today said that the core committee would be expanded to comprise 50 members, who it would be ensured would be people of high credibility and integrity.
The announcement was made at a meeting after the 74-year-old Gandhian held detailed discussions with fellow activists Arvind Kejriwal and Prashant Bhushan.
Mr Hazare said that he would be looking for volunteers instead of office-bearers to carry forward his movement. He also added that a thorough background check would be conducted on prospective members.
"We want people with clean image....we will send our teams to verify their credentials...otherwise bad people will ruin our movement..." he said.
The veteran activist also reiterated his warning to the government of intensifying his campaign if a strong Jan Lokpal Bill wasn't introduced in Parliament in the forthcoming Winter session.
"If they fail in the Winter session, then we will go the people not just in the five state assemblies but will continue fighting till the general elections, even if it's two years away", Mr Hazare said.
He, though, tempered the warning by saying that his team wasn't against the Congress as was being made out to be.
"We are not against the Congress...I told the Congress also that if they get a nice Jan Lokpal Bill into action, I will tour the nation supporting you to make it an ideal place", Mr Hazare said.
The septuagenarian's message to the Congress comes amid growing criticism of the his team targeting one particular party - in this case, the Congress - as also increasingly making its presence felt in the political arena. The latter argument is courtesy a high-decibel campaign by Team Anna against the Congress in the recent by-poll in Hisar in Haryana. The episode saw Congress leaders accusing Mr Hazare and his associates of singling out their party and effectively benefitting its allies. In fact, two members from Mr Hazare's core committee quit amid reports of unhappiness over the team's anti-Congress campaign and the fact that they were not consulted over such a move.