New Delhi, January 9
Team Anna has decided not to target any political party on the issue of the Lokpal Bill, at least for now.
At its first core group meeting on Monday after Anna Hazare’s December agitation in Mumbai fizzled out, the team discussed future strategy and the direction of the anti-corruption movement about which key member Arvind Kejriwal had recently proclaimed “confusion”.
Sources said the team had for now decided not to target any political party but the final call would be taken by Anna when key members, including Kejriwal, Prashant Bhushan and Kumar Vishwas, meet him in Ralegaon Siddhi, most likely on Tuesday.
However, being branded pro-BJP and anti-Congress were not the only issues when the core group met today for the first time after Anna’s agitation for a strong Lokpal at the MMRDA grounds in Mumbai ended abruptly.
Besides the future direction of the anti-corruption movement, including the mode of campaign in five poll-bound states, members also discussed the growing chasm between Delhi
and Mumbai groups about which Anna was understood to be quite upset.
Sources said it was not just the poor public response to his agitation in Mumbai and Delhi or taunts from the grand old party on the team’s anti-Congress and pro-BJP stance that were bothering Anna. Also weighing heavy on his mind was the “growing divide” between the Delhi and Mumbai groups.
Sources said two key members of the group, Arvind Kejriwal in Delhi and Mayank Gandhi in Mumbai, do not see eye-to-eye on many issues. The problem aggravated when Kejriwal insisted on Delhi as the venue for Anna’s fast, saying it was more suited for the movement, while Gandhi insisted on Mumbai, arguing that the agitation was becoming too “north-India centric”.
