New Delhi: In a few hours from now, Anna Hazare and his team of activists will end their hunger strike at the protest camp they have inhabited for 10 days at Delhi's Jantar Mantar. Anna has not eaten since Sunday; his aides like Arvind Kejriwal have been fasting for twice as long and their health has been a cause of concern. (Track live updates)
But political parties and the public will really be looking for any announcements that elaborate on the team's political plans. They have asked for feedback - via twitter and the India Against Corruption website - for whether they should set up their own political party. (See forum) The government, which refused to urge them to end their fast, says the activists have always hungered for power while claiming otherwise.
Critics say that a lukewarm reception to this hunger strike -when compared to the epic turnouts for the protests pivoted by Anna last year - have proved that Team Anna can no longer get by as the self-proclaimed safeguard of public interest. Anna has said he will not contest elections, will support a "political alternative." His aides admit that entering politics is a daunting task. Raising the sort of funds required to contest elections seems out of their league, they said. They also said that power corrupts MPs, and they are worried about how their candidates would remain immune to graft if they reach Parliament.
"We want to form a front of honest people," said Mayank Gandhi to NDTV yesterday, after Anna announced on stage that he does not "see anything wrong with forming a party." Mr Kejriwal, visibly weak, appealed to the public to advise the activists on what sort of role they should play. "They are hardcore politicians," said Kapil Sibal, who is among the ministers who have accused Team Anna of trying to dictate terms to a democratically-elected Parliament. (What politicians say)
Union Law Minister Salman Khurshid told the Tehelka magazine that Anna Hazare had asked him to keep their June 23 meeting near Pune a secret. Mr Khurshid also hit out
at Team Anna, saying Mr Hazare and his team "talk in different tunes".
Even supporters of Anna have warned that a formal entry into politics is more likely to end as a mis-step rather than a game-changer. "One has to think a 100 times before taking a plunge into electoral politics. If he joins politics, then the momentum gained should not be lost. When people with noble intentions join politics, either they don't last long or they don't achieve much," said activist Medha Patkar.
"I don't think Team Anna should get into politics because we are not ready for elections," said Justice Santosh Hegde, who has been a core member of Anna's group, but has often differed with the others on their tactics.
Team Anna says that the government has proved it has no interest in cleansing the country of graft. The activists believe the antidote lies in the Lokpal Bill, which Anna brought onto the big stage with him through a series of hunger strikes last year. The longest, in August, lasted 16 days, and made Anna the centrifugal force in a middle-class push against corruption. Anna ignored appeals from the Prime Minister and others to end his fast; he relented only after MPs promised to urgently debate the Lokpal Bill, which provides the blueprint for a national ombudsman agency with the powers to investigate and prosecute government servants.
The Bill was passed by the Lok Sabha last year, but has tripped in the Rajya Sabha. Anna's activists say without it, there is no chance of reintroducing probity in the governing class.
