Mumbai: Fresh from the success of Anna Hazare's 13-day-long fast in New Delhi, Team Anna Saturday snubbed veteran BJP leader L.K. Advani for his decision to undertake a nationwide yatra (tour) against corruption, saying: "the country does not need a yatra but a Jan Lokpal Bill".

"Our [Team Anna members'] combined view is that the country does not want a yatra but a Jan Lokpal Bill. What we want is that every party… we are not specifically pinpointing any particular party … Whichever party that is committed to fighting corruption should tell all its MPs to support and vote in favour of all the provisions of Jan Lokpal Bill both in front of the Parliamentary standing committee and in both the houses of Parliament," Team Anna functionary Arvind Kejriwal said.

Elaborating, Kejriwal said: "The parties concerned should also tell the governments in different states where they are in power, to promulgate ordinances or have the bills passed in the legislatures appointing Jan Lokayuktas in their respective states. We have already submitted copies of Jan Lokayukta Bill drafts to various state governments in the country."

Talking to media persons at Ralegaon Siddhi where Team Anna held first round of strategy session earlier in the day, Kejriwal came up with this response, thus spiking media speculation that cracks had developed among Hazare's core group members on whether or not to extend their support to Advani's anti-corruption Yatra.

Differences

Assertions to the contrary by Kejriwal notwithstanding, differences had indeed come to the fore on the Advani yatra issue, earlier in the day.

Reacting to Advani's plan to undertake a nation-wide anti-corruption yatra, former IPS officer Kiran Bedi, who is part of the team, had said: "We are with anyone who supports the anti-corruption movement and there is no competition with anyone. Anybody who is supporting the cause will get our support. If any political party is for the anti-corruption movement, we are for the cause. We are not for or against any party."

Kejriwal had responded by saying: "I will have to speak to her, there seems to be a misunderstanding. We do not extend support to any political party". Hazare's confidante Medha Patkar had also maintained that Hazare's anti-corruption movement had nothing to do with a nation-wide campaign against corruption to be undertaken by Advani.

Dwelling on the deliberations at the strategy session, Kejriwal said that Hazare would soon write a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, seeking the latter's views on some of the crucial issues.

‘Target non-supporters'

Anna Hazare Saturday urged people to encircle the houses of MPs opposed to the Jan Lokpal (citizen's ombudsman) bill.

"We should gherao [encircle] the houses of MPs opposing the Jan Lokpal bill. They should not be allowed to come out," the 74-year-old social activist told a meeting of anti-corruption activists in his village of Ralegan Siddhi in Ahmednagar district. He also asked people not to re-elect such MPs. "It is our duty to ensure that those MPs who are not supporting the bill should not be re-elected. No one should vote in their favour," he said.

The meeting that started Saturday morning will have different sessions that will discuss the future course of action for the Jan Lokpal bill for which Hazare undertook a 12-day fast last month in New Delhi. The meeting was attended by around 45 people from India Against Corruption, which backed his fast, and other groups.

— With inputs from IANS