New Delhi, Aug 6: Social activist Anna Hazare today announced that he has disbanded Team Anna core committee, adding that the team members will now work towards setting up a political party.

Writing an article with the header “Team Anna ka karya samapt ho gaya hai’ (Team Anna’s work is over) in his blog, Anna Hazare concludes: “Today we have decided to end the work of Team Anna.

Team Anna was formed for setting up the Jan Lokpal. Now that Jan Lokpal has not been set up, we have decided to snap all links with the government. That is why, Team Anna is disbanded today, and with its the core committee of Team Anna comes to an end.”

In his blog, Anna Hazare writes: “Government is not ready to bring the Jan Lokpal bill. We were told,  what’s the use of sitting on fasts so often, stop the fasts and give the people an alternative.

This demand rose from among the people. I also thought that this government will not be able to end corruption, because the government lacks will.

People expected that the Jan Lokpal will eradicate corruption, but after one and a half years, and after sitting on several fasts, the government is not ready to bring in the bill. So it was decided to chose a better way to select good people for Parliament and give the people of this nation a better alternative.

“But how will this happen? I told publicly at Jantar Mantar, that I would tour the whole country and try to bring awareness among the people about the need to have good and sincere people with a social outlook, and who want to serve the nation. Unlerss such people do not enter Parliament, change will not come.

“I agreed, but-

1. What will be the modus operandi of selecting such peple?

2. There has to be a political party to give the alternative. What will be the mode of selecting members for that party?

3. Today most of the parties have signboards. Membership drive continues, even if one is a goonda, a rapist, a looter or a corrupt one. Then what will happen to our movement if such people become members?
4. Personally, I won’t float any party. I will not contest elections, but I will campaign among the people to give them a better alternative.

5. For a single election, Rs 10-15 crore expenditure is needed. From where, will we collect so much money?

6. What if those who are elected become corrupt? Then, what will be the alternative? Normally, people elect a representative believing he or she is honest. But once, that representative comes to power, his or her attitude changes and the person often indulges in corruption out of self-interest. This is what we see nowadays in most of the parties. What should be our thinking on this? What will be the mode of monitoring such representatives?
7. Today nature and human beings are being exploited and the government is not trying to stop this. What should be the alternative?

8. Team Anna asked  thousands of people who came to Jantar Mantar to raise their hands on whether we should offer a political alternative. It’s a good thing. But, Jantar Mantar alone is not India. We need to change India. India has 6 lakh villages. All these villages have gram sabhas. These gram sabhas have to pass resolutions saying, yes, we need an alternative. It is not possible for all to sign papers saying we are ready for an alternative.
9. Like the gram sabhas, the nagar parishads, corporations, wards and mohalla sabhas should also send suggestions. Only then, it will be clear that the people want to send good  representatives to the Lok Sabha.

“If such issues are ironed out, I will tour the country for the next one and a half years. I will appeal to my countrymen to find out candidates of “good character”. Our workers will go to monitor the character of such candidates, who have love for the nation. Only then will they be selected. I have started this experiment in Maharashtra. I selected 12 such candidates, out of which 8 such candidates won elections to the vidhan sabha.

“When I spoke of sending good representatives to Parliament, several people remarked  that I have now become a zero. Well, I have been a zero all my life, I stay in a temple, I don’t have money of my own, I have no post, and I still have lunch of plain roti and sabzi sitting on the floor.

“I have been a zero from the beginning and shall remain a zero till the end. It doesn’t matter the least to me what one says.

Till date, five books have been written to denigrate me in the last 25 years. Several editors wrote editorials denigrating me. But a faqir’s faqiri (saintliness) doesn’t get reduced by such things.

Those who denigrate me will have to become faqirs to understand the truth. One good thing that happened was, the more I was denigrated, the more energy I got, even today, at the age of 75, compared to 35 years ago.”

It may be recalled that the  gram panchayat of Ralegan Siddhi, Anna Hazare’s village, had disapproved of Team Anna’s decision to float a political party. Anna Hazare’s blog appears to be an attempt to assuage the feelings of members of his own gram panchayat.