Team Anna postpones meet as Cong. reiterates stand on Lokpal

New Delhi, 22/11/2011: Anna Team Members (L-R) Prashant Bhushan, Kiran Bedi, Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia addressing the media after meeting Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley on the first day of the Winter Session of Parliament in New Delhi on November 22, 2011. Photo: R.V.Moorthy

The core committee meeting of Team Anna, scheduled to be held at Ralegan Siddhi on January 2 and 3, has been postponed due to Mr. Hazare’s ill health, his aides said on Saturday.

“The core committee meeting has been postponed due to Annaji’s ill health. The date of next meeting will be announced after 4-5 days,” Mr. Hazare’s aide Suresh Pathare said.

Mr. Hazare’s associates were to meet at his native village Ralegan Siddhi in western Maharashtra, about 300km from here, to chalk out the future strategies of India Against Corruption movement.

The 74-year-old social activist called off his three-day fast against a “weak” Lokpal Bill mid-way on December 28 due to poor health. He returned to his village the next day.

Notwithstanding the poor turnout at the protest venue in Mumbai, Mr. Hazare renewed the threat to campaign against the Congress in five poll-bound states, including Uttar Pradesh, for bringing in a “weak” Lokpal Bill.

Meanwhile, the Congress today insisted that the Lokpal Bill ‘is not dead’ and will be back soon.

“The Lokpal Bill is certainly not dead. It is not even in ICU or Emergency. It is merely under rest and recovery (R and R) and it will be back soon,” Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said.

A political war has broken out between the government and the Opposition over Rajya Sabha’s failure to pass Lokpal Bill, with both sides accusing each of carrying out “well choreographed” chaos to scuttle it.