Kiran Bedi skips protest; cracks in erstwhile Team Anna wide open

NEW DELHI: Cracks were today wide open in erstwhile Team Anna, which is taking a political plunge soon, when Kiran Bedi skipped a protest here due to her differences with the group on targeting BJP on coal block allocation.

Though activists Arvind Kejriwal and Prashant Bhushan insisted earlier in the day that she will come to Jantar Mantar and join the protest, Bedi did not make it to the protest.

Bedi did not respond to telephone calls or an email seeking her views.

She had yesterday tweeted her support for the protest though she voiced her opposition to target BJP on the issue.

"I fully support Arvind's call for Jantar Mantar rally. While I feel we need to focus on party in power, I respect his and others view to cover all. This is time for 'a united front against corruption'. If we keep fragmented, the corrupt will continue to be in power to protect itself," Bedi had said.

Kejriwal said yesterday that Bedi was "completely" with them and "there could be two viewpoint on any issue. But he admitted that "her viewpoint is slightly different".

"We welcome her viewpoint. But the question is will replacing Congress with BJP, will the situation change?" he had said.