Hazare to expand his core team

In a bid to rejuvenate his movement, Anna Hazare today decided to expand his core team by inviting prominent citizens like former Army Chief Gen V K Singh besides considering formation of anti-corruption centres at district level.

At a meeting held here, Hazare said he wanted to have a more inclusive core group having members with experience in a variety of fields including policy making, activism, corporates, judiciary, police and electoral reforms.

"The movement will now be a registered one. Not like earlier. It will be a Trust. There will be a Code of Conduct. It is not free for all type. We have learnt from past experiences.

"It will have its headquarters in Ralegan Siddhi and other centres will act as support centres," activist Kiran Bedi, who attended the meeting, told PTI.

She said Hazare will be sending letters inviting several eminent people in the coming days to join his core team.

Besides Gen Singh, those who will be approached by Hazare to join the movement include activists P V Rajagopal and Rajender Singh, former IPS officer Prakash Singh and media personality Minhas Merchant.

Former Team Anna members like Justice Santosh Hegde and agriculture expert Devender Sharma, who have not taken a political plunge, will also be approached, Bedi said.

"The movement will act as a think tank on policy making.

This is an inclusive movement. He wants the movement to act as an apolitical watchdog," Bedi said.

The meeting of the next Core Committee will be held on November 24 and 25 in Ralegan Siddhi, a day before Arvind Kejriwal, who split with Anna Hazare on the question of going political, will announce the name of his party in Delhi.

Bedi said it was also decided to set up anti-corruption centres at district levels where young activists will try to help people.

"This will be fully dedicated to anti-corruption issues.

But the onus of allegations will be on the complainant. There will be local issues and aggrieved people can approach these centres. The young volunteers there will either forward the complaints to authorities or they themselves will coordinate with local officials," she said.

She said a building is being constructed in Ralegan Siddhi to house the headquarters of the movement and Hazare has donated Rs 35 lakh, which he got as an award recently, for its construction.

"Hazare will be constantly available for interaction at this centre through video conferencing when it is built," Bedi said. It was also decided that the movement will have a separate youth and girls' wing.