Delhi Elections 2015: Want to stay away from political dirt, says Anna Hazare

RALEGAN SIDHI: Sidestepping questions about Kiran Bedi joining BJP, anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare on Wednesday said that he wants to stay away from “political dirt” and pledged to intensify his agitation for Janlokpal after the Delhi assembly polls.

Asked about remarks by Bedi, who was his associate in the agitation for Lokpal Bill, that she had called him but he did not receive it, Hazare said: “This subject has come up again. I don’t want to wade into this dirt. I don’t want to be involved in such political dirt.” On Kiran Bedi joining the BJP, Anna Hazare said, “I don’t want to comment on that.”

Anna Hazare, who is believed to have stated that the former IPS officer did not consult him before joining BJP, told reporters at his native village Ralegan Siddhi in Ahmednagar district that he will decide the next course of agitation on Janlokpal issue after the Delhi assembly polls.

“The direction of the agitation will be decided after Delhi assembly elections,” the 77-year-old Gandhian said. Both Hazare and Bedi had opposed Arvind Kejriwal’s move to launch the Aam Aadmi Party in 2012.