AAP reaches out to Hazare, vows to fight for Jan Lokpal

Reflecting a thaw in their relations with Anna Hazare, a team of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) today called on the Gandhian whose indefinite fast entered its third day and vowed to continue lending support to his fight for an effective Jan Lokpal.

Terming Hazare as "a permanent source of inspiration" for his party, Kumar Vishwas, a frontline AAP leader, trashed talks of continued differences with the anti-graft campaigner.

Vishwas, who along with five others was despatched here to express solidarity with 76-year-old Hazare, fasting for passage of the Jan Lokpal Bill pending in the Rajya Sabha for two years, said their leader Arvind Kejriwal too wanted to come but could not as he was indisposed.

"Arvind Kejriwal is not well but he spoke to Anna who gave him his blessings. He also asked Arvind to take care of his health as he has to fight a big battle for the country.

"Kejriwal also requested Anna to call off his fast but was told that a Parliamentary select committee has made some suggestions and he wanted to see in what form the Jan Lokpal Bill is presented in the Rajya Sabha," Vishwas told reporters.

"If the Bill is not along the lines of the draft that was passed by Anna at Ramlila Maidan and Jantar Mantar and the two parties (Congress and BJP) dilute it using the camouflage of words, we will not accept it and continue our political protests," he said.

Viswas said AAP was confident of winning an absolute majority if re-elections are held for Delhi Assembly and, if that happened, the party would pass "Anna's Jan Lokpal Bill", have it notified in the gazette and present a copy of the law to Hazare at Ralegan Siddhi in the presence of all its MLAs.

He said Hazare expressed happiness over the way they contested the elections which enabled even candidates from the depressed sections to win.