Background checks for new core panel members: Anna Hazare

NEW DELHI | MUMBAI: With Team Anna members coming under attack over integrity-related issues, Anna Hazare on Sunday said he would expand the core committee of the anti-graft campaign and care would be taken to accommodate people with a clean image.

Anna, while speaking to reporters at Ralegan Siddhi, said that he will not pick just any one for the committee and a background check will be conducted before inducting new members. “One thing good about this agitation is that people have come forward. Thousands of people have come up. People are ready to join the protest.

Now, we just have to search and find good people,” he said. The assertion comes in the backdrop of charges against key members like Kiran Bedi for inflating travel bills and against Arvind Kejriwal for not practicing what he preaches. “Now, we will keep a sharp check on all the new members of the committee. I won't pick just any,” Anna said.

“We have many people ready to serve. We will send our people to check their background. We will check if they have police cases against them. A person of character will be chosen. Graduates, Muslims, Dalits, adivasis, all will be taken,” he said. However, the number in the core committee will not go beyond 80, he said.

Anna also said a meeting will be held in Delhi as soon as possible where the working committee will be selected. “We will do the selection of the working committee and we will also train them. Training is very important even if it is for two-three days. After training, our foundation will be strong. We do not have any set agenda for the meeting ,” he said.

Anna’s movement has gained support of constitutional bodies empowered to check graft too. In a recent address at a meeting of antigraft agencies in Marrakesh, Central Vigilance Commissioner Pradeep Kumar had said that Anna’s struggle pointed to the government's failure to create a honest and transparent mechanism to check graft.

“Whether it is the revolution across the Arab world, the ongoing 'Occupy Wall Street' protests which has spread to 78 cities around the world or the Anna Hazare movement... there is one common thread... failure of governments and corporations to create a system of fair, honest, transparent and market-based principles and practices,” Kumar had said.