Anna Hazare and Arvind Kejriwal split ways today with Hazare declaring that the team had ceased to exist and he had nothing to do with the political plans it may have.
Speaking after a day long closed door meeting at the capital's constitution club with other activists of the movement he led for a year and a half, the veteran activist said very bluntly that his picture and name should not be used by india against corruption or the political party it launches.
He however said that he could support candidates fielded by Kejriwal's party on a selective basis if he found them up to the mark. But I will not support any particular party, he said.
He said he was always against having a political party but added that those among the anti corruption activists who wanted to be part of a party were free to join it.
He also spurned the results of the popular survey which the India against corruption had flaunted citing support for forming a political party. He said that he did not accept the views expressed in Facebook and SMS surveys as popular vote. If you can go to the three lakh gram sabhas and get their views I will accept anything you say he said.
We feel sad by this separation said an anti corruption activist, who is with Kejriwal.
Another associate said that it was better to split ways than be in perpetual conflict. He recalled that Anna Hazare has been putting pressure on various matters like dropping the names of some Maharashtra ministers when they were being targeted during the recent protests.