Thaindian News

Gorakhpur (Uttar Pradesh), Oct 19 (IANS) Team Anna member Arvind Kejriwal said here Wednesday that the attacks on the socical activist and his associates were aimed at diverting attention from the core issue of the Jan Lokpal bill.

He was referring not merely to a slipper thrown at him by a Congress party worker in Lucknow Tuesday, but also to the criticism by certain political leaders, particularly Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh.

Addressing a press conference here, Kejriwal said: “The game of these politicians is to divert our attention from the real issue of Jan Lokpal Bill and we are not going to allow that; we are only focused on ensuring that the Jan Lokpal Bill is introduced and passed during the coming winter session of parliament.”

He said, “That is the reason, Anna ji has been repeatedly advising all our comrades not to get provoked by any act of our antagonists who basically do not want the Jan Lokpal to come into place.”

According to him, “The Anna movement was bound to be attacked from all sides, because the corrupt establishment was scared of the very movement.”

On the oft repeated charge that Team Anna was turning political, Kejriwal shot back, “Well, there is no denying that we are talking in political terms because our mission in to introduce reforms in governance; but that does not mean that we turning into politicians.”

“And let me make it absolutely clear that none of Anna team members have any political ambitions; our goal is to see that Jan Lokpal becomes a reality during the coming winter session of parliament.”

Earlier, during the day, Team Anna members visited Faizabad, where he addressed a meeting. Similar meetings were held in Mau and Ghazipur, before Kejriwal and others depart for Delhi.

Kejriwal returns to Uttar Pradesh Oct 21 when he will address a rally in Agra followed by another one in Meerut on Oct 23.