Hazare has deviated from his objective: Former aide

Jaipur, Oct 28: Rajinder Singh, who quit Team Anna due to differences over its political approach, has 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.

"I was in Nairobi when Hazare decided to support a political candidate in Hisar and I immediately parted ways with Team Anna as I did not want to become part of a power brokering process," he said.

Before launching his campaign against corruption, Singh said Hazare had decided not to let it become political "but in Hisar Lok Sabha bypoll, he supported a corrupt candidate". Team Anna was criticised for its anti-Congress campaign in Hisar bypolls as various quarters felt that the anti- corruption movement was taking a political turn.

Team Anna did not canvass vote for any particular candidate but decided to ask people not to vote for Congress as it was not in support of Jan Lokpal Bill. Singh, popularly known as 'Waterman', said he and P V Rajgopal dissociated themselves from Hazare's movement as it had "deviated from its objective".

"We thought the campaign will also raise public issues related to water and land but it did not do it," Singh said. The public and media support to Hazare's anti-corruption campaign in Delhi had gone to the head of his aides and made them arrogant, he alleged. Singh also said it was wrong to think that he had opted out of Team Anna out of fear of the Government.

PTI