In an attempt to dispel rumours of a rift between Anna Hazare and Arvind Kejriwal, members of the Aam Aadmi Party participated in the latest agitation for the Jan Lokpal Bill.
Mr. Kejriwal, who was scheduled to meet his former mentor, tweeted earlier in the day that ill- health was the reason he could not travel from Delhi on Thursday.
Three members of the AAP from Delhi met Mr. Hazare on Thursday afternoon. However, going by the anti-corruption activist's stand not to share the stage with politicians, they sat in the audience.
“Anna has always been a source of inspiration for us and will remain so. We have fought for the Lokpal Bill together. If there are any changes in the Bill the government brings out, they will have to pay at the Lok Sabha elections,” Mr. Kumar Vishwas of the AAP said.
On the recent election results, Mr. Vishwas said: “Anna congratulated us on our performance. He was happy that we did well without using money and alcohol.”
Addressing the media, Mr. Hazare said he had specifically told Mr. Vishwas to not talk about politics.
Rubbishing claims that he was being misled about Mr. Kejriwal, he said, “I stay away from people in politics. This is my stand after years of experience.”
He said that he would read the draft Bill once it was tabled to decide “whether it is Lokpal or Jokepal.”
Urging the Samajwadi Pary to support the Bill, he said it would be a historic moment if the Bill was passed after a long struggle of 42 years.
Mr. Hazare said he had written to Minister of State in the PMO V. Narayanasamy and Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley, demanding that the Bill be passed.
“The government has acted very irresponsibly. This is dangerous for the republic,” he said.
“I am ready for the ultimate sacrifice,” Mr. Hazare said in the letter, reiterating that he would not stop his fast until the Bill was passed.
Speaking to reporters in Pune, Mr. Vishwas said the party would contest the Lok Sabha polls from Maharashtra.
“We will fight against leaders like Sharad Pawar who said that jhola-wallahs cannot rule the country,” he said, referring to Mr. Pawar’s statement after the AAP’s performance in the Delhi polls.
“We will fight against all big politicians,” Mr. Vishwas said adding that he would contest against Rahul Gandhi in the Amethi constituency.
