Very strong but Team Anna plans changes

New panel and 'constitution' to deal with wrongdoing by members.

With charges of financial misconduct plaguing its members,Team Anna Sunday decided to formulate a constitution for its anti-corruption movement and to revamp the core committee after that a demand that has been raised from within. The constitution will frame rules for inclusion of new members to the core committee and working committee as well as for dealing with wrongdoings by them.

The decisions were taken at a five-hour closed-door meeting here chaired by Anna Hazare and attended by prominent team members Arvind Kejriwal,Prashant Bhushan and Kiran Bedi,a day after the core committee meeting in Ghaziabad decided against disbanding the present team.

Hazare,who is on maun vrat,communicated through a written statement read out by Kejriwal at a press conference that Team Anna stood united,that he did not find the clamour for disbanding the core committee right,and that they would not leave the battleground. Kejriwal added that all the issues had been resolved.

Our team is strong as a mountain and nobody can break it. I do not approve of the things that are being said about dissolving the core committee. If we leave the battleground now due to these petty accusations,peoples belief in us would be shattered, said Hazare.

The core committee members will unitedly face the challenges and fight back. Our fight will be on till the Jan Lokpal Bill is passed. In future,a constitution will be framed for the movement8230; The current core committee will go on till the constitution is adopted. Once the constitution comes into being,the core committee would be revamped, Hazare said.

The constitution will have provisions on who can be members of the core committee and working committee and their character. Whoever indulges in wrongdoing will be dealt with according to the constitution,Hazare said.

Asked how long framing of the constitution would take,Kejriwal said: It would be framed soon after inviting suggestions for its draft from across the country.

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Alleging that some people in the government and Congress were trying to damage the movement through mudslinging,Hazare said: This will not stop the movement.

He claimed that allegations against Kejriwal of diverting donations to his trust were attempts to mislead the people. From the beginning,the Kejriwal-headed Public Cause Research Foundation PCRF was working as the movements secretariat,Hazare said. Accounts of the movement would be put up on the Net on November 1,he added.

Later,through another statement,Hazare rubbished allegations of dubious financial dealings in the movement for the Jan Lokpal Bill. People are being misled about the funds collected and the expenses of the agitation8230; Of the funds we got,Rs 40 lakh came from unknown sources,through a bank, Hazare said. Instead of keeping all this money,we have directed that it be returned.

We stopped collecting funds at Ramlila during their Delhi protest after a few days. Later,we even stopped receiving funds through cheques and banks. All this shows the movement is not working for money. We have undertaken a special audit8230; and will put its report on the website. If anyone has doubts,any government agency can investigate finances of the agitation, Hazare said.

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While emphasising that the movement was not against any party,Team Anna justified campaigning in the recent Hisar bypoll and urging people to ensure the Congresss defeat. It was just to show how people will react in the coming elections if the government does not pass the Jan Lokpal Bill,Hazare said through the statement read by Kejriwal,adding that the bypoll result had frightened the Congress.

Hazare vowed to undertake a yatra across the country with team members if the Lokpal Bill was not passed in the coming winter session of Parliament with the provisions demanded by them.

About Bhushans statement supporting plebiscite in Kashmir,the activist said there were many people in the committee who believed in various ideologies. But the views of an individual member cannot be seen as Team Annas views, he said.

Asked about the RSSs support to the movement,Kejriwal and Bhushan stressed that they had never asked for the same. We have never allowed anyone from the RSS to share the dais but if some RSS members came to the Ramlila ground or any other dharna to support the movement,what is wrong in it? Kejriwal said.

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RSS wale Indians nahin hai kya Arent people affiliated with the RSS Indians? said Bedi.

Anna ungrateful to RSS: Digvijaya

Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on Sunday took a dig at Anna Hazare,saying he was being ungrateful to the RSS. Baba Ramdev is being more honest about the support of RSS. Havent understood why Anna is denying. Ungrateful? Singh tweeted on Sunday. Rebutting Singhs allegations about the RSSs support to his anti-corruption campaign,Hazare had earlier said the Congress was trying to defame him.

The RSS has,however,maintained that it had supported Hazares campaign.