Hazare, Hegde, Patkar won't attend India Against Corruption meet

Several prominent members of India Against Corruption (IAC), including N Santosh Hegde, Medha Patkar and Anna Hazare himself, are expected to be absent from the organisation's crucial core committee meet here Saturday.

The meeting comes in the wake of allegations of financial impropriety against IAC members Arvind Kejriwal and Kiran Bedi and the attack on another member Prashant Bhushan by right-wing activists over his comments suggesting a plebiscite on the Kashmir issue.

Patkar told TV channels that she would not be attending the meeting, but hoped the committee would hold "free and frank" deliberations on all issues.

Hedge, a former Supreme Court judge, told reporters in Bangalore Friday he would not be attending the meet as he had some personal engagements in Mumbai.
 
"I don't think Anna's strength lies in the core committee or people's honesty in the core committee. Anna's strength lies in the common man's fight against corruption...That's his strength, it's not a few people in the core committee."

"I am not out of Team Anna, with a rider that my commitment to Team Anna is in regard to a strong Lokpal bill and fight against corruption. Beyond that, I am not with anybody," Hegde was quoted as saying.

He had criticised the political turn of the movement when Kejriwal led an anti-Congress campaign in the Lok Sabha by-poll to the Hisar seat recently.

Hazare, who has undertaken a vow of silence in his village Ralegan Siddhi since October 16,  will also not be attending, an aide had told the media in his native village Ralegan Siddhi.

"My health still does not permit me to give up my 'maun vrat'. There is still some swelling on my feet and the knee troubles me a lot," Hazare wrote in his latest blog post Thursday.

Two members of the 26-member core committee - Gandhian activist PV Rajagopal and Magsaysay award winner Rajendra Singh - had resigned recently protesting against the politicisation of the movement under Kejriwal. Singh had described Kejriwal's ways as autocratic.

Kumar Vishwas, a member of the core committee, Friday urged Hazare to re-organise the committee to give it a new look, TV reports said.