Team Anna finds 'no clean party'

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Close associates of veteran social activist Anna Hazare has said that in the next stage of their movement for the Lokpal Bill, they under the banner of India Against Corruption, would not campaign against any particular political party.

The announcement came after a suspected dampening of enthusiasm among common people for the Hazare-led movement, after the movement was alleged of acquiring political colours after its members campaigned against the ruling Congress party in a handful of by-elections.

Talking to reporters after a core committee meeting here, Hazare''s associate Arvind Kejriwal said that when people had been asked not to vote for the Congress, they had asked the anti-graft activists for an alternative, which had left them baffled.

"When we go and ask people not to vote for a certain party, they ask us who they should vote for instead. All of you know that there is no political party that is clean and worth to be elected. All parties are tainted by graft. We are talking about a change in the system, therefore, we decided during our discussion that we will not speak for or against any political party," he added.

Meanwhile, another Team Anna member Prashant Bhushan echoed similar thoughts as he said that the activists would nevertheless expose the Congress party as being mainly responsible for the delay concerning the legislation of the Lokpal.

"In spite of the fact that the government has betrayed people the most on the issue of Lokpal Bill, we will not campaign against any particular party during the elections. But we will explain our stand on the issue to the people, as well as what the government and other parties did," he added.

Hazare had earlier threatened the Congress-led UPA Government at the Centre that he would campaign in poll-bound states if a strong Jan Lokpal Bill was not passed in the Winter Session of Parliament.