Ghaziabad, Jan 9: Team Anna's Core Committee met here today sans the ailing social activist amid “confusion” on how to take the movement forward and decided to leave it to him to take a final call on its future strategy, including whether or not to target any single political party.
This is the first meeting of the Team after Hazare called off his agitation programmes for a strong Lokpal last month.
Arvind Kejriwal, Prashant Bhushan and other members attended the deliberations during which they discussed the future course of action, including “short term and long term strategy” of the movement.
Kejriwal and Bhushan will go to Ralegan Siddhi tomorrow and present before Hazare the suggestions that emerged in today's meeting.
Sources said the members who attended the meeting were of the view that Team Anna should not target one single party. Bhushan said some prominent members could not attend the meeting and they will discuss today's deliberations with Hazare and others.
“We discussed the pros and cons of various suggestions. We discussed the future programmes. We discussed how to build the campaign. No decision has been taken as Anna was not here as well as some other members,” Bhushan told PTI. Sources said Hazare will take a final call on the future course of action.
Hazare did not attend the meeting as he was not keeping well. Doctors had advised him not to undertake any tour for at least a month due to his health conditions.
Another prominent member Kiran Bedi also did not attend the meeting. “I had some compelling personal programmes. So I could not attend the meeting,” Bedi told PTI. Bhushan said she was not well.
The meeting came against the backdrop of poor public response to Hazare's agitation in Mumbai and Delhi in the last week of December and taunts from Congress on its anti-Congress plank.
It also came days after an article written by Kejriwal which suggested that Team Anna appeared to be confused on how to take forward the fight for a strong Lokpal, saying the movement is at the “crossroads” and a wrong decision at this stage can prove disastrous for it.
He had then sought suggestions from public to take forward the campaign.
Team Anna members said they deliberated on its anti-Congress line taken during its campaigns earlier as it was being accused of being pro-BJP.
However, the induction of former BSP leader Babu Singh Kushwaha, who is accused of corruption, in the BJP has put Team Anna on the wrong foot as Congress stepped up attack against them.
