New Delhi, Sept 3: Team Anna Hazare has threatened to campaign against those ministers and MPs in the ensuing state Assembly polls who are opposing the Jan Lokpal Bill.
This was revealed by Team Anna members Arvind Kejriwal, Prashant Bhushan and Kiran Bedi while being grilled by Rajat Sharma in the TV talk show Aap Ki Adalat on India TV.
Kejriwal said, we will actively campaign against ministers and MPs who are opposing our Jan Lokpal Bill in the 5-6 states that will go to polls soon.
"We will even take Anna Hazare with us to campaign against these leaders", Kejriwal added.
Pressed by Rajat Sharma whether it was a threat, Prashant Bhushan explained: "You can say it's a sort of warning. The people of this country are angry over corruption and price rise. We have to tell the people who are opposing the Jan Lokpal Bill."
On writer Arundhati Roy's charge that the Anna agitation was part of a typically World Bank funded agenda, Prashant Bhushan said, "it could be that she failed to understand the agitation in its entirety. The agitation was largely supported by the middle class, the media and it also had the support of some corporates, and her opinion appears to be prejudiced".
Kiran Bedi, facing a notice of breach of privilege for making fun of politicians, appeared tough: "What lies have I said? Is speaking the truth a crime? The truth is bitter, and they (politicians) should have to take the bitter juice. Whatever I did was the call of the hour (samay ki pukaar)".
On his charge about MPs taking bribes, Prashant Bhushan clarified: "I had said that in a democracy it does not mean that the elected members can do whatever they want for the next five years, even taking bribes. If this is breach of parliamentary privilege, then one has to review the privileges of Parliament members."
On the charge about calling MPs thieves, Arvind Kejriwal said: "I never said all leaders are thieves. If parliament cannot fulfil the aspirations of the people, with 4 MPs in jail under Prevention of Corruption Act, and nearly 150 MPs charged of heinous crimes, is it not an insult to Parliament when political parties give tickets to such leaders? The political parties themselves are denigrating Parliament by giving tickets to criminals."
Prashant Bhushan pointed out that "MPs and MLAs often throw mikes and footwears at one another, regularly cause uproar causing adjournments and in Parliament they passed 19 bills within 17 minutes without discussion. Can we call it a democracy?"
Team Anna members criticized Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his statement in Parliament criticising the Jan Lokpal Bill movement.
Kiran Bedi said, "while watching Rahul on TV, I thought he would steal our thunder. But hearing him, I was shocked. He went on speaking, and continued to lose. ..Personally he lost a very big opportunity".
Prashant Bhushan said: "BJP's stand was not clear till the last day, the day of debate in Parliament." To this, Kejriwal quipped: "We don't bother which party may try to take political advantage, we only want our Jan Lokpal Bill passed. That's it. "
Analysing the 12-day-long movement, Kejriwal said, there were three major reasons behind its success: one, there was and still is a big groundswell of anger among the public over corruption and pricerise, two, there was a leadership crisis, both political and spiritual, and three, for the first time a "faqir" (mendicant) Anna Hazare became the political and spiritual icon for the youth.
Aap Ki Adalat with Team Anna Hazare members will be telecast on Saturday September 3 at 10 pm and on Sunday September 4 at 10 am and 10 pm on India TV.
