Accusing his one-time protege of being power hungry, anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare has said that Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party is no different than the others.
In a letter clarifying his stand to support Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, Mr. Hazare said that she was only one who responded to his letter on a 17-point agenda for the upcoming elections. Mr. Kejriwal had not replied, he alleged.
Mr. Hazare had written to all political parties seeking their views on the 17 points, which include introducing strict laws against corruption, and village-centric policies.
He stated that he would have supported Mr. Kejriwal, too, if he had agreed to the 17-point agenda. But neither Mr. Kejriwal nor the AAP has responded to his letter, he claims. “This makes it clear that he is thinking more about power, and less about people. Such a party cannot give a bright future to the country. There is no difference left between this party (AAP) and the other parties," Mr. Hazare said.
Responding to the allegations, AAP’s Preeti Sharma Menon stated that the party is as committed towards society as much as Mr. Hazare is. “We have tried our best, but failed to convince Anna that we are here to work for the people.”
Commenting on why Mr. Kejriwal had not replied to Mr. Hazare's letter, she said, “Ideas of village autonomy and anti-corruption are the fundamentals of our party. We don't need to clarify it anymore.”
Mr. Hazare also said that he had changed his stand of not supporting any particular party as these elections will be a turning point for the country. Calling Ms. Banerjee a "sincere and selfless" leader, Mr. Hazare said, "There is no other Chief Minister who has worked so hard for the State. She is capable of leading the nation. People should vote for her," he said. However, he added that his support is limited to the upcoming elections.
