Team Anna closes ranks,warns personal attacks will ‘backfire’ on government

In an attempt to show that all was well with the group,which has come under attack from within,the core committee also passed a “unanimous” resolution backing the decision to campaign against the Congress candidate in the recent Hisar bypoll,and rejecting all charges of financial misconduct against two of the most prominent faces of the movement — Arvind Kejriwal and Kiran Bedi. It also ruled out the disbanding of the core committee as demanded by one of the members,Kumar Vishwas,on Friday.

Vishwas did not attend the meeting today as he had left for Tokyo. Social activist Anna Hazare,the leader of the group,who is observing a maun vrat (vow of silence) in his native village in Maharashtra,was also absent. Justice Santosh Hegde,former Lokayukta of Karnataka,and Medha Patkar also did not attend the meeting.

Kejriwal,Bedi,Shanti Bhushan,Prashant Bhushan and Manish Sisodia were among those who attended the meeting and later appeared at a joint press conference,where they slammed the government for misusing its “machinery” to attack them personally.

“We are prepared to face all their attacks. But we want to warn them that their policy of targeting us individually would backfire on them. The anti-corruption movement will only grow stronger. The next time we organise an agitation,it would be at least ten times larger,” Kejriwal said.

Kejriwal has been attacked by some of his own colleagues for reportedly misappropriating funds collected for the agitation,while Bedi has been found — as first reported by this newspaper — to be overcharging her host organisations for her transport bills.

Kejriwal said the group did not think Bedi had indulged in any corruption. “At best it is a matter between her and her host organisations. If any of these organisations think that they have been charged excess money,they can ask for it back. Bedi herself has offered to return the money. But till now,no organisation has come forward to demand money from her,” he said.

The group claimed that such allegations were being made to divert attention from the Jan Lokpal Bill. Bedi said it did not matter to them whether the office of the Lokpal was created as a constitutional authority or just had a statutory status.

“What is important is what powers are given to Lokpal. A constitutional status does not mean it would be vested with all the powers we want. If the government wants to create a constitutional authority,it is welcome to do so,but if it uses this as an excuse to buy time,because it does not have a two-thirds majority to push through a constitutional amendment,it would amount to going back on its commitment. The deadline is the winter session,” Bedi said.

Lawyer Prashant Bhushan justified the group’s decision to campaign against the Congress candidate in the Hisar bypoll. The decision had upset some members of the group with two of them — P V Rajagopal and Rajendra Singh — quitting the core committee in protest against increasing “politicisation” of the group. The resolution passed by the core committee today said the Hisar decision was “right and successful”. Kejriwal said the group would continue to deploy the same strategy — opposing any candidate who does not endorse the Jan Lokpal — in the upcoming Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh as well.

Meanwhile,Hazare’s aide,Dada Pathare,said Kejriwal and Prashant Bhushan were scheduled to visit Ralegan Sidhi tomorrow to brief the activist on today’s meeting.