Setting sights on the 2014 general elections, veteran social activist, Anna Hazare, disbanded Team Anna’s core committee, paving the way for a new political party.

He made this announcement in his blog on Monday. However, he did not spell out anything clearly about the proposed political party.

“Team Anna was made for working for a Jan Lokpal. Since we have decided not to have any links with the Government, Team Anna’s work has come to an end. So, from today, the Team Anna Committee is disbanded,” he wrote.

Last opportunity

Terming the 2014 general elections as the “last opportunity” for people to root out corruption from this country, Anna Hazare, said, “It’s now or never.”

He said in the next one-and-a-half years, he would tour the entire country to raise awareness among people about the need to elect clean candidates.

Clean candidates

During his tour, Anna Hazare said he would try and short-list ‘clean’ candidates, “I have experimented in Maharashtra. I selected 12 candidates, of which eight were elected to the Assembly,” he added.

However, he cautioned the proposed political party and selected candidates against the lure of power and money. “The day I see this happening, I will distance myself,” he said.

The announcement comes three days after Team Anna ended its indefinite fast, saying it would work towards providing an alternative political force to the people.

However, some key Team Anna members have opposed the decision to enter electoral politics. Among these are several core committee members such as Justice Santosh Hegde, Medha Patkar, Chandramohan and Akhil Gogoi.

aditi.n@thehindu.co.in

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