Back channel backfires,Anna spills Salman secret

Hazare alleged that Khurshid met him to persuade him not to attend the protests by Team Anna and yoga guru Ramdev. Claiming that Khurshid told him that government was willing to bring the Jan Lokpal Bill,he defended his meeting saying that he agreed for the meeting thinking that it will help the country.

Addressing a press conference in Ralegan Sidhi,he released a letter he has written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in which he denied the claim of Minister of State in PMO V Narayanasamy that he was helping the government on evolving a consensus on Lokpal.

“When Salman Khurshid told me that the government will take a decision on the issue before July 25 (when Team Anna plans to go on fast),it clearly means that differences crop up in the team before the agitation so that I am not part of the protest… After coming to know about your government’s conspiracy,I do not wish to talk to any minister or any responsible person now or in future. People’s fight is a way for betterment of society and the country. Till we get Jan Lokpal,the people’s struggle will continue,” Hazare said.

Referring to Narayanasamy’s letter of Monday in which he had claimed that Hazare had helped the government in evolving a consensus,he said: “I am asked to keep the meeting secret. I said,why not in the interest of people. But Narayasamy gets his letter hand-delivered to my team members. That is when doubt arises whether an attempt was being made to split my team,” he said.

“The purpose of this move was to create an impression among the team that Anna is keeping them (his associates) in the dark and holding consultations with the government so that a misconception can be created and the team can be split,” he claimed. There was no immediate reaction from either the Prime Minister’s Office or the Congress to Anna’s disclosure about his meeting with the Law Minister. While the PMO refused to comment,Congress sources expressed surprise about the meeting but refrained from making any immediate comment “without ascertaining the facts”.

Party sources said that “there was no need for the meeting” but only Khurshid could explain why he met Anna or whether he was authorised by the Prime Minister to hold talks with him. Narayansamy refused to comment.

On 24 June,a day after his meeting with Hazare at Naval Veerayatan,a spiritual centre 62 km from Pune,The Indian Express had contacted the Law Minister who categorically and repeatedly denied having met the anti-corruption crusader. Following Anna’s disclosure on Wednesday though,Khurshid did not respond to telephone calls and SMSes seeking his reaction.