V K Singh assures he will not join politics: Anna Hazare

Anna Hazare is likely to announce a coordination panel by Saturday to take his apolitical anti-corruption movement forward.

Hazare, who arrived here this afternoon, said he will hold a series of discussions with his associates in the next two days and visit a couple of places which have been shortlisted to house the movement's office in Delhi.

The anti-graft crusader said he has decided to set up a coordination panel consisting of around a dozen associates.

"We will add more people to the panel after a screening," he said, adding by November 10, a coordination panel will be in place.

Asked about Gen (retd) V K Singh sharing stage with former Haryana Chief Minister and INLD leader Om Prakash Chautala, Hazare said he was not aware of it and that the former Army chief has assured him earlier that he will not join politics.

Hazare had earlier decided to expand his core team by inviting prominent citizens like the ex-Army Chief besides considering formation of anti-corruption centres

at district level.

Hazare wants to have a more inclusive core group having members with experience in a variety of fields including policy making, activism, corporates, judiciary, police and electoral reforms, his aides said.

Besides Gen Singh, those who are being approached by Hazare to join the movement include activists P V Rajagopal and Rajender Singh, former IPS officer Prakash Singh and media personality Minhas Merchant.

Former Team Anna members like Justice Santosh Hegde and agriculture expert Devender Sharma, who have not taken a political plunge, are also being approached.

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