Days after its much publicised agitation in Mumbai and Delhi fizzled out, Team Anna appears to be confused on how to take forward the fight for a strong Lok Pal saying the movement is at "crossroads" and a wrong decision at this stage can prove disastrous for it.
Though it chose to bring BJP under the line of fire for admitting tainted politicians like Babu Singh Kushwaha into its fold to blunt criticism of being anti-Congress, it did not spare Congress claiming that Anna Hazare felt cheated by the Prime Minister and the seniormost leadership on Lok Pal issue.
With Hazare indisposed and calling off his agitation plans as well as his tour of five poll-bound states to campaign against Congress, it was prominent Team Anna member Arvind Kejriwal who aired the team's views in an article saying that they were conscious that a wrong decision at this stage for the movement.
"The anti-corruption movement is at the crossroads today. Where do we go from here? We are conscious that a wrong decision at this stage could prove disastrous for the movement. I met Anna in hospital two days back," he said.
Kejriwal's views in public came a week after an ailing Hazare called off his Mumbai fast mid-way and future agitation plans, including jail bharo agitation.
On the advice of doctors, Hazare has also decided not to go ahead with the tour of five states to campaign against Congress for "cheating" people on the Lok Pal issue.
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He also sought to puncture allegations that they are anti-Congress by attacking BJP for admitting Kushwah, accused of corruption, into its fold saying how can they support a party which admits the likes of him.
"If we do not go for the tour of election-bound states, what should we do? Should Anna go for another fast? But the government has already indicated that if people participating in the movement don't translate into votes, they don't care," Kejriwal said.
The poor public response to Hazare's agitation in Mumbai and Delhi in the last week of December and taunts from the Congress and some other leaders appears to be weighing heavily on the minds of Team Anna.
"Some have suggested we should form our own party. But we neither have the will nor the capacity. This is a people's movement. The movement was successful because thousands participated. The people should now suggest the way ahead," Kejriwal said.
A Team Anna member said following Kejriwal's article Team Anna has received around 1,000 emails from across the country giving suggestions.
Kejriwal said Hazare was "deeply" hurt and feeling "cheated" at the way the government treated the issue.
"If the Prime Minister and the seniormost leadership were to cheat the nation like this, where is the hope for our country? If Parliamentarians were to behave like the way some of them did, what is the future for our country?" Kejriwal quoted Hazare as saying when he met the activist in a Pune hospital early this week.
Defending Team Anna's attack on Congress, Kejriwal said Hazare was surprised when the Standing Committee submitted its report.
Out of 34 amendments suggested, the committee had accepted just one of providing Constitutional status to Lok Pal and that was the first time when Hazare blamed Rahul Gandhi, he said.
"We were privately assured that the committee was not the final word and our concerns would be addressed in the Bill.The Bill that was presented in Parliament is not only weak and ineffective, it is dangerous and would further weaken our already compromised anti-corruption systems.