Unease in Team Anna; members demand revamp

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With Team Anna coming under attack on alleged financial misconduct and other issues, a sense of unease appeared to have cropped up among some of the key members who today demanded reconstitution of the Core Committee.

Ahead of the crucial meeting of the Core Committee in nearby Ghaziabad tomorrow which will not be attended by Anna Hazare, two prominent members Medha Patkar and Kumar Vishwas urged the Gandhian to 'overhaul' the group.

Though both of them did not criticise Kiran Bedi and Arvind Kejriwal, who are facing flak over the running of their NGOs and their financial integrity being questioned, they have referred to the allegations faced by the Core Committee members.

"I don't think there is a difference of opinion. The only thing is a bit of overhauling is certainly becoming necessary because there are a number of allegations and Core Committee members are being targeted," Patkar, who will not be attending tomorrow's meeting due to prior engagement, said.

Vishwas shot off a letter to Hazare demanding suspension of the Core Committee and sought its expansion to make it more representative against the backdrop of Congress leaders targeting it.

"Such attacks (against Team Anna members) and the subsequent clarifications will strengthen the conspiracy to divert the attention from the key issues...I request you to give greater representation to the Core Committee consisting of limited members and turn it into a hard-core committee comprising of 121 crore people.

Meanwhile, Kejriwal shot off a statement today saying the India Against Corruption (IAC) 'can't have its own bank account' as it is not an organisation but a movement.

"IAC is not an organisation. It is a movement. It can't have its own account," Kejriwal said, replying to a question on whether the IAC will be opening a bank account to receive public donations.

Kejriwal's reply comes in the wake of allegations by Swami Agnivesh - a founding leader of the IAC who has now parted ways with it - that Rs.70-80 lakh collected during Anna Hazare's 12-day fast at the Ramlila ground here in August were siphoned off to Kejriwal's private trust - Public Cause Research Foundation (PCRF).

Saturday's core committee meeting is likely to accept the resignations of two members - Gandhian P.V. Rajagopal and Magsaysay award winning water activist Rajendra Singh - who protested the movement taking a political turn when Kejriwal campaigned against the Congress candidate in the by-polls to the Hisar Lok Sabha seat.

Singh also alleged that Anna Hazare deviated from his objective by supporting a 'corrupt' candidate in Hisar bypoll and that his team is full of 'arrogant' people.

Singh also attacked Kiran Bedi and Arvind Kejriwal, alleging they were the 'most arrogant' members of Team Anna.

Being former bureaucrats they are in the habit of throwing their weight about and imposing themselves on others, he alleged. Lawyer Prashant Bhushan, another member, also triggered a controversy by advocating plebiscite in Kashmir, evoking strong opposition from Hazare and other team members

Putting Kejriwal, a former government official, in the dock, the Income Tax department has slapped a notice of Rs.9.27 lakh dues for unauthorised absence before his leaving the service in 2006. The department has threatened attachment of property and criminal prosecution against Kejriwal in case of non-payment.

Media reports recently also said Kiran Bedi, a former police official, encashed inflated travel bills when invited to seminars and meetings. Though Bedi initially defended her action saying 'the savings went to the public cause of her NGO', she later announced a refund of the extra amounts.