Team Anna yet to get Ramdev invite

Political plunge necessary because of govt ruse to let us die of fasting

Four days before yoga guru Baba Ramdev starts his agitation at Ramlila Maidan here against black money,Team Anna is yet to receive an official invite. Ramdev remained incommunicado,heading to the birthplace of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in Gujarat for three days of self introspection. Before that,he urged Sonia Gandhi to rein in Congress leaders making indecent comments about his agitation.

We have not received an invite. We will see when the time comes, Arvind Kejriwal said.

Team Annas decision to go political has been met with silence from Ramdev who is one of the founders of India Against Corruption IAC. He has been largely sidelined for the greater part of the agitation,making a comeback only in April.

In the just concluded fast at Jantar Mantar,it was Ramdev who first brought the crowds back. In an interview to The Indian Express last week,the yoga guru had said Anna would be present on the stage at Ramlila but had chosen not to comment about Team Anna.

Meanwhile,Team Anna members Arvind Kejriwal,Manish Sisodia,Kiran Bedi,Prashant Bhushan,Shanti Bhushan,Kumar Vishwas and Sanjay Singh met Hazare at the Maharashtra Sadan on Sunday evening in what was officially described as a courtesy meeting but was apparently to discuss various facets of the political alternative that they announced at Jantar Mantar.

This was an informal meeting. We came here to thank Anna and enquire about his health, Bedi said.

Political commentator Yogendra Yadav was a surprise participant at the meeting. Yadav has been a regular speaker at most Team Anna events and has been supportive of the move to go political though,in his speech on Friday,he had said this would require a widening of horizons and well reasoned positions on all issues of national importance,not just corruption.

Yadav said he was a guest at Sundays meeting.

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In his blog on Sunday,Hazare said the political plunge was necessitated by a doubt that the delay in the Lokpal Bill was a calculated ruse by the government to let us die of fasting as others have done before us. He also sought resolutions from gram sabhas and mohalla bodies that more than 90 per cent should vote and none for a bribe.

Movement has failed: Digvijaya

BHOPAL: Congress general secretary Digvijaya Singh on Sunday said the decision of Team Anna to float a political party only indicates that their movement against corruption has failed. Team Anna would not have decided to form a political party had its movement against corruption succeeded,Singh said while welcoming their move and added that anyone has a right to form a political party in the country. As far as the Congress party is concerned,it has nothing to fear from Team Annas proposed political party,he added. PTI