Social activist Anna Hazare on Wednesday distanced himself from the proposal to launch a political party, made by erstwhile Team Anna members Arvind Kejriwal, Prashant Bhushan, Manish Sisodia, among others, and admitted that they were splitting. Mr. Hazare, however, declared his resolve to fight for Jan Lokpal and make sure that Parliament passed the Lokpal Bill before the next general election. For this, he would tour the country, he said.
Forbidding Mr. Kejriwal and others from using his photos in their campaign material, the veteran social activist said he would have nothing to do with a political party launched by them. He even went so far as to say that the 76 per cent affirmation for the decision to form a party that came through SMSs and Facebook was not the real opinion of the nation. “I do not consider Facebook and SMS surveys as the real janmat,’’ he told journalists here.
After a day-long meeting with prominent citizens, mediapersons and retired judges, Mr. Hazare once again dissociated himself from plans to form a party, but unlike in the past, he forbade Mr. Kejriwal and company from using his name or his photos in their campaign material, indicating that the divide between them was deep. This, when enthusiastic supporters of the idea of a political party were holding placards that said “Anna topi’’ would be their party’s symbol.
