In a significant development, core committee member of Team Anna and Krishak Mukti Sangrma Samiti general secretary Akhil Gogoi here on Saturday opposed the decision of his team at Janatar Mantar on Friday to form a political party and called upon India Against Corruption to rethink and review their decision.
Talking to this newspaper, Mr Gogoi said, “I have informed our opposition to idea of forming a political party to Anna Hazare and the IAC team through an email on Friday.”
The email was sent on Friday at about 11 am before the decision was taken, he said.
In a formal statement to this newspaper, KMSS spokesperson Kamal Medhi said, “We have pointed out seven specific reasons for not supporting the formation of political party.”
Mr Medhi said that people are with them because of their crusade against corruption. “People are with us because we are not in the race of grabbing power,” he said, adding that their mandate and support of people was for fighting corruption, not for grabbing power.
Mr Medhi said, “Team Anna had convened a meeting of its core committee on April 22 also to take a decision on forming the political party but the move was stalled because Akhil Gogoi and Kiran Bedi opposed it vehemently.”
Claiming that many other members of the core committee had opposed the idea of forming a political party, Mr Medhi, however, said, “We are waiting for a response from Anna Hazare to decide our future course of action.”
He said that the resolution to form a political party was passed in a meeting of the core committee last week in which Mr Gogoi was not present.
Mr Gogoi, however, reiterated that their crusade against corruption would continue as usual. Mr Gogoi is in hospital because of some ailment.