Union govt in leadership crisis: Anna Hazare

Veteran Gandhian Anna Hazare on Sunday claimed the Union government was facing a serious leadership crisis, saying there are “five to six ministers at the Centre who think and behave as if they are prime ministers themselves”.

Speaking to reporters on Sunday at the conclusion of the two-day meeting of the core committee of Team Anna, he added, “When I began my fast (in New Delhi) there was no one to take a decision on the Jan Lokpal Bill. The Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, was abroad at that time. With no one taking any decision, my fast had to stretch to 12 days. What would happen to the country if we have such rudderless leadership?”

About his future plans, Anna announced he would embark on a campaign against political parties and MPs to expose them on the issue of Jan Lokpal Bill. “I would also vigorously pursue my campaign for the right to reject and right to recall elected representatives,” he added.

On other important deliberations at the meeting, Arvind Kejriwal announced that Team Anna would issue legal notices to Bhawar Singh Meghwamsi, a member of Mazdoor Kisan Sangharsh Samitee (MKSS), and other people for spreading false information about various core committee members.

The legal notice to Meghwamsi would be served by Kejriwal, while another Team Anna member, Kumar Vishwas, would be serving a notice to a magazine, the name of which he refused to disclose. Both the articles had claimed Kejriwal and Vishwas had close ties with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

Kejriwal declared that the team would compile a list of people and organisations that made such statements and issue legal notices against them.

Nikhil Dey, member of the MKSS, when asked to comment, said, “Meghwamsi had written this article in his individual capacity as a journalist. The MKSS had not endorsed the article.’’ Meghwamsi could not be contacted for comment. Kejriwal said Team Anna would embark on yatras across the country in the next two months to campaign against political parties opposed to the Jan Lokpal Bill. However, he stated they will not be campaigning for any candidate under any circumstances.

In order to usher transparency within the core committee members, a special audit of the donations would be conducted and put online before October 15. The core team members would also declare their assets online by that date.
Kejriwal distanced himself and his trust, Public Causes Research Foundation (PCRF), from money collected by various organisations during the 12-day movement in August.