Anna Hazare announces that he will start a national campaign against corruption on January 30, 2013, the death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi; lays claim to the name IAC
Today (Saturday) there was a meeting among 13 old members of our group for over five hours. Soon there will be a national campaign against corruption. I will start a nationwide tour from January 30, 2013,” Anna Hazare told reporters afteru00a0the meeting.
ADVERTISEMENT
“It is misinformation that the team has been disbanded. We have formed a 13-member team which will take the movement forward,” he said. The activist also said he will inaugurate his new office at Sarvodaya Enclave in south Delhi today. “We need to unite the country against corruption, we need a revolution to change the system,” he said.u00a0
Among those who attended the meeting were Kiran Bedi, N Santosh Hegde and Medha Patkar. “This movement is back. This movement won’t stop until our investigating agencies become independent and non-participant,” Bedi said.
On September 19, Hazare confirmed his “separation” from his former team and from key associate Arvind Kejriwal on the issue of forming a political party and directed that his photographs or name not be used for political campaigning.
Meanwhile, Kejriwal acceded to Hazare’s demand to retain the name India Against Corruption (IAC). “The movement was launched October 2010. Arvind, who was earlier a member, had left us two months ago,” Hazare said at a press conference at Maharashtra Sadan. “The movement of India Against Corruption was launched by me to fight corruption,” he added.
Kejriwal said he would not use the IAC’s name in his fight against corruption. “He (Anna) is my guru. I talk to him everyday. If he asks me to stop using IAC’s name, I won’t use it,” said Kejriwal.
Former IAC member Kiran Bedi, who left the group with Hazare, said, “They (Arvind and his colleagues) moved out of IAC. They must certainly have a new name.”
After splitting from Hazare, Kejriwal had announced he would float a political party.
u00a0