New Delhi, Oct 1: Arvind Kejriwal today played down criticism by Anna Hazare of his anti-corruption group getting into politics, saying there was no fight between the two and they were combating graft through different routes.
Kejriwal, who met Hazare for the first time after they split on the question of forming a political party, said, “We came to meet him as he is in Delhi. We have a relationship. There is no fight between us. He himself has said the goal is same though the paths are different”.
“We told him that whenever needed, we are there to help you. He told us media is creating an impression that there is a fight,” he told reporters after his 20-minute meeting with Hazare.
Hazare had yesterday fired a salvo at the Kejriwal-led group, saying they had not responded to his questions on how to present a political alternative to the people in the fight against corruption and dubbed the path of politics as one “full of dirt”.
The path of “politics is not sacred and it is full of dirt” but the route of agitation is “sacred”, Hazare had said.
Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia arrived at N D Tiwari Bhavan near ITO where Hazare is holding a meeting with retired bureaucrats and others on the next course of action regarding his apolitical anti-corruption movement.
The meeting came a day ahead of the likely announcement by Kejriwal on formation of his party.
Hazare split with Kejriwal-led group on September 19, saying he was opposed to the movement taking a political plunge.
Contending that a big movement and not politics will give the country its future, Hazare had said that he told the pro-party group that the route of politics was “not the right direction”.
“I did not give an alternative. When I was told that an alternative has to be given, I said it is a good idea but I asked them to answer my 5-6 questions (on how to provide an alternative). But I did not get those answers,” he said.
Hazare was referring to the questions he raised like how will members of a new party will be selected, where will the money come from and how will the candidates for elections be selected among others.
