The core committee of India Against Corruption removed one of its members, Mufti Shamum Kazmi, from the panel after he was allegedly found taping the proceedings of a meeting attended, among others, by social activist Anna Hazare here on Sunday.
On his part, Mr. Kazmi came out of the meeting saying he was quitting as the committee had become “politicised” and was “anti-Muslim.”
But Team Anna member Arvind Kejriwal said: “Whatever he is saying is baseless. Nothing of the kind that he is alleging happened. Till now the group was not politicised or anti-Muslim; only after he was found recording — even private conversations — and requested to stay away from the meetings, does he find the panel politicised.” Mr. Kejriwal compared the incident with the one involving Swami Agnivesh. Agnivesh was removed after he was caught on camera allegedly talking ill of Team Anna with a Union Minister when Mr. Hazare was on fast on the Ramlila ground in New Delhi last year, a charge the activist denied.
Earlier, two activists P.V. Rajagopal and Rajinder Singh quit the team following differences over the way in which decisions were taken. Team Anna said they had left because they were preoccupied with their own work.
“Several issues are thrown open at the meeting and discussed threadbare before we reach consensus. One such issue was that the group will have to take a stand at some point on electoral politics,” Mr. Kejriwal said.
Mr. Hazare would join Baba Ramdev's day-long fast at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on June 3.
