Arvind Kejriwal, who is building his political party with a foundation of revelations and exposes against political party leaders, can brace himself for scrutiny from a parallel India Against Corruption as Anna Hazare is all set to announce his own team for an anti-corruption movement next month.
The movement with no political goals, a new office and a new name is busy canvassing top people known for their stand against corruption for membership.
Hazare is arriving in Delhi in the first week of November and is expected to spell out the shape of his new movement, which is expected to begin its journey from Patna in January 2013.
The Anna camp has spelt out names of some people it is pursuing for membership. Many of them are entities who were previously associated with IAC and left it because of differences with Arvind Kejriwal. These include Rajendra Singh, Rajgopal, Devinder Sharma and Medha Patkar and Santosh Hegde.
The other names that are being suggested are those of ex-cop Prakash Singh, Bhure Lal and Gen VK Sharma.
Prakash Singh when asked about his views about Anna Hazare felt it would be healthy for a movement like that to flourish. "There is a churning happening. And people are fed up with corruption. At least the political parties would now think twice before taking the people for granted," he says.
He attributes this to the awakening that was caused by the anti corruption movement of Anna Hazare.
However, he is not so sure if he would be part of it. "They have not consulted me and nor have they called me. I would like to know what are the parameters of the movement and what my membership would mean before taking any decision," he said.
"I would need autonomy and would not like to be anyone's stooge," Singh added.
As for Arvind Kejriwal's party, Singh feels it does not have a future.
"The revelations he has been making on politicians, are not with a view to change anything," he says.
"It is merely a strategy to give his political party a status and a background. It is also to strengthen his own image. If people are serious about something they should take it up legally," he says, adding that the media which also thrives on making revelations without necessarily going to court was a watchdog and had no political goal.
On the future of Kejriwal, he says that at the most it may win a couple of seats in Delhi in the assembly and parliament elections. Loksatta achieved a couple of seats too. But it can do nothing, he says.
On the other hand, a movement like that of Anna's he says would have a legitimacy.
Devinder Sharma, who quit IAC, is also being approached to be a member of Anna's movement. Sharma said that nothing has been discussed yet.
Sharma had left IAC in disillusionment as issues close to his heart viz issues of farmers and agricultural reforms were not being taken up.
In fact the movements that revolve around a single leader make enthusiasts, who are known activists themselves, feel left out, and their issues neglected. Rajendra Singh, the champion of the water sector, also had left with the same complaint.
Whether Anna Hazare in his second innings would change this state of affairs is to be seen.
The two movements, one social and the other political, have one thing in common. Their supporters. The supporters who throng at Kejriwal's protests are all Anna supporters too. In fact most of those who are attending training sessions with Kejriwal and his team of professional organisation builders openly admitted that they would support both Anna and Kejriwal.
We will go to Farukkabad to protest against Law Minister Salman Khurshid and we will also join Anna when he organises a protest, said a volunteer at a training camp organised at Kejriwal's IAC office.
Both Kiran Bedi and Devinder Sharma have also been voicing support for Kejriwal. Bedi in her tweets supported Kejriwal for most of the revelations made by him including those against Robert Vadra, Salman Khurshid and Nitin Gadkari.
"What is wrong is wrong. We are not going to shy away from supporting what is right," says Sharma.
Says Bedi, who has been canvassing support for Anna's movement on social media sites like Twitter, "Anna's movement for honest India is an inclusive movement. It shall be an inclusive united front for an honest nation. It belongs to all! ''
She says that it would begin with setting up of anti-corruption counters everywhere with the help of volunteers to take up grievances of ordinary people.
The movement, which is in the process of finalising an office in Delhi, would be headquarterd in Ralegaon Siddhi Anna's village and would be registered as a trust.
