Anna Hazare inciting people on FDI: Swami Agnivesh

JAIPUR: Activist Swami Agnivesh on Saturday criticized Team Anna for provoking people against the Union Cabinet's decision to allow foreign direct investment (FDI) in retail. At a school function at Jaipur, he said Anna Hazare  and his team were making "factually incorrect and irresponsible statements".

"Statements with factual mistakes are preventing people from engaging in a healthy debate. People opposing FDI should discuss rather than play around with the issue to gain mileage," said Agnivesh.

Agnivesh was not against 51% FDI in retail and for single-brand stores but wanted the farmers' rights to be protected. The government should assure that at least 45% of their products are purchased from farmers, he said.

About returning to Team Anna, he said, "Team Anna is a derogatory word. I don't recognize them. Crediting them for revolution is undermining the power of the common man. They may be face of a movement but it's a revolution by the people." Without naming Hazare, he warned against one-man worship.

He did not support Anna's fresh protests against the Lokpal Bill. "I don't think there is any need for protests when the Union government is working on a strong Jan Lokpal Bill ," said Agnivesh.

He said the Lokpal Bill proposed by the parliamentary panel is better and effective than the one drafted by Team Anna. He accused political parties for opening a front against the FDI.

"They are holding protests claiming that multinational companies will capture our economy. These are baseless arguments in a globalized economy," he said.

Anna Hazare undecided on ties with Swami Agnivesh

RALEGAN SIDDHI: Veteran social activist Anna Hazare on Saturday said that there was no harm in talking to social activist Swami Agnivesh.

Hazare made these remarks while interacting with mediapersons at his native village of Ralegan Siddhi in Maharashtra.

"What is the harm in talking (to him), we will think about it," Hazare said.

The Gandhian activist's remarks comes a day after Agnivesh expressed desire to apologize to Hazare after their fall out, when he was sitting on a hunger strike with an aim to exert pressure on the Central government to pass an effective Lokpal Bill.

Agnivesh had said that he was willing to apologize to Hazare after he made an exit from the popular reality show 'Bigg Boss'.

Earlier, in a video that was also posted on YouTube, Agnivesh was heard talking to a person named "Kapil", that many presume was Union Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal, during the stand off between the Central government and Hazare in August.

In the video, Agnivesh was reportedly heard passing malicious comments about his fellow agitating civil society activists led by Hazare.

The controversial video had raised doubts over Agnivesh' claims of supporting Hazare's cause and ended in a fall out between the two.

Swami Agnivesh says he will apologize to Anna Hazare

NEW DELHI: Swami Agnivesh, who had a bitter fallout with anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare, has said he wants to apologise to the Gandhian if he has made any mistake.

Agnivesh, who ended his two-day stint on reality show Bigg Boss last night, said he would like to meet him as soon as possible.

"I will say sorry if I have said or done anything wrong. I will try to meet him as soon as possible. With all respect and humility I will apologise to him at the earliest opportunity," Agnivesh said.

The 72-year-old activist was in the eye of a storm soon after Hazare's hunger strike when a video surfaced in which he was seen talking to an unidentified person asking him to deal strongly with the Gandhian. This led to his estrangement from Team Anna.

When asked whether he would like to rejoin Anna's movement, Agnivesh said he never left it and would concentrate on being a reconciliation factor now.

"I will try to bring everybody together. I will talk to Baba Ramdev, Aruna Roy, Santosh Hegde and work towards regrouping on a large scale, without mulling over events in the past.

"I am sure the government will approve of Jan Lokpal on a constitutional level, but that's just a small part in the anti-corruption movement. We need to change people's mindset," he said.

Agnivesh said he was warned against entering the reality show on Colors but his fears ended once he was locked inside the house with the other contestants and he found it a good opportunity to convey his message to people.

"Despite the time constraint of squeezing 24 hours into 45 minutes, I think I got a good opportunity to deliver my message. Its a peaceful and reflective place with an informal environment. Nobody can manipulate you if you remain true to yourself," he said.

Agnivesh had entered the fifth season of Bigg Boss on November 8 and was locked in for two days alongwith contestants like Pooja Bedi, Juhi Parmar, Mahek Chahal and Shonali Nagrani.

Anna was upset over management of funds

New Delhi: After raising questions about the way in which funds for Anna Hazare agitation was managed, Swami Agnivesh on Monday claimed that the Gandhian was upset about the management of the accounts and a delay in auditing will make the people associated with the movement worried.

Agnivesh claimed that Hazare expressed concerned when he came to know about the lapses and during a meeting in Ralegan Siddhi on September 10 and 11, he told Team Anna members that it was "unacceptable" and that an audit should be done.

"Hazare said that copies should be sent to him and told the meeting that if you make people associated with the movement as trustees, the people would have more trust on us," Agnivesh said.

His comments came days after he alleged that funds collected for the agitation was deposited in the trust run by Arvind Kejriwal from which the names of major Team Anna members were missing, a claim dismissed as made "out of anger". He had earlier alleged that Kejriwal had siphoned off over Rs 80 lakh.

"Hazare told the meeting that an audit should be done since his name is associated with it. He told the meeting that he will not allow any 'hanky-panky'. He said you should make sure that audit is done and posted on website," he said.

Agnivesh, who was ousted from Team Anna following the surfacing of a video in which he was shown talking to someone asking him to deal with Hazare strongly, said the Gandhian had set a deadline of October 15 for completing the audit.

"Now, it has been sometime since the deadline is over. So it is obvious that people would be worried as nothing has been done over the issue," he said, even as Team Anna noted that they will publicise the accounts by this month-end.

"If there is any reason why it has not been done, they should have allowed people to know about it," Agnivesh said, adding that he was not levelling any allegations against anyone.

"Funds that has been spent and funds that have come should both be audited. This is the need of the hour, if the faith of people is to be kept intact," he said.

Agnivesh, who on Saturday alleged that Kejriwal has siphoned off over Rs 80 lakh donated for Hazare's agitation by diverting it to a trust run by him, said Anna Hazare does not have his name in the Public Cause Research Foundation run by Kejriwal.

"Even Justice Santosh Hegde, who has a clean image, does not have his name in the trust. So, the main members of the Team were not part of the trust and the old trust where Kejriwal and his members were part...the money was deposited in their name," he alleged.

Swami Agnivesh was like a govt mole, says Kiran Bedi

NEW DELHI: Former IPS officer and Anna Hazare aide Kiran Bedi has said that social activist Swami Agnivesh was like a government mole in the India Against Corruption team.

Asked about Agnivesh's charge that had it not been for Bedi and Arvind Kejriwal, Hazare's fast would have been over long ago, a strident Bedi told a TV channel, "If you are going by what Mr Agnivesh says, then better let it be. He is still to establish his own credentials. The tape showing him in conversation with Kapil Sibal shows that he had a direct link with Sibal. It was almost like he was a government mole among us. There were allegations for long but we kept ignoring it. What conscience did he have sitting down with us?"

The tape Bedi referred to is the one that has been doing the rounds for some time now where Agnivesh, addressing the person at the other end as "Kapilji" and "Maharaj" at different times, had said, "These people (Team Anna) have become mad like an elephant and you are giving them more and more every day. I feel embarrassed by their attitude when the government has been so accommodating."

Sources in the Hazare camp said that even during the Gandhian's first five-day fast in April at Jantar Mantar demanding the Jan Lokpal Bill, there were questions about Agnivesh's conduct but the team chose to ignore it as they thought overt signs of a division might end up hurting the campaign.

Agnivesh has already denied that this was a conversation he was having with HRD minister Kapil Sibal who was among the ministers negotiating regularly with Anna Hazare's team. He said the man at the other end of the line was Haridwar-based godman Kapil Maharaj who has since denied having any conversation with Agnivesh. The last the social activist had said about the tape was that it was a "cut and paste" job. He has been incommunicado since then.

Bedi also said in the interview that Agnivesh had told her that it was a fraud. "I told him that in that case, he should go to the police and get the matter investigated." In an interview to a different channel, Bedi, when asked if there were "hidden agendas" within Team Anna, said, "Those with hidden agendas have separated. Look at Mr Agnivesh."

I supported but Team Anna 'conspired' against me: Agnivesh

NEW DELHI: Activist Swami Agnivesh, a prominent associate of Anna Hazare, today accused certain members of Team Anna of "conspiring" against him and said because of this he decided to go his way.

"Why did they circulate the CD (in which he is purportedly telling a Union Minister that government need to act tough with Hazare) on Sunday (August 28) when they had it three days in advance. The timing was interesting. They released it just after the fast ended," Agnivesh told media.

Asked who all were behind it, he shot back "my colleagues conspired against me. I supported them but they betrayed me... those associated with the movement, who else?."

Terming the circulation of the controversial video as "deliberate", he alleged the "vicious" campaign was to "destroy" his credibility.

He said Team Anna did not even think it important to talk to him and find out about the controversial CD where he is purportedly telling a Union Minister that government need to act tough with the fasting Gandhian.

Agnivesh had earlier claimed the video footage was "doctored and concocted" and part of a "smear" campaign against him and denied he was talking to Union Minister Kapil Sibal.

Arvind Kejriwal, a key member of Team Anna, did not respond to a request for a reaction to Agnivesh's comments.

Maintaining that he has not done anything wrong and "if someone shows me where I have gone wrong, I will apologise to Anna", Agnivesh said "I have great respect for him."

Team Anna attacks Agnivesh over controversial video

New Delhi: Swami Agnivesh, a close associate of Anna Hazare, was the target of the core Team Anna which attacked him over a controversial video posted on YouTube where he is purportedly telling a person alleged to be a Union Minister that the government should act tough with the fasting Gandhian.

Agnivesh on his part claimed the video footage was 'doctored and concoted' and part of a smear campaign against him and denied he was talking to Union Minister Kapil Sibal. The minister was involved in negotiations during the intitial stages of the stand-off between Team Anna and the Government.

Team Anna member Kiran Bedi alleged that Agnivesh has been caught on camera where is asking a person after addressing him as 'Kapil', "Maharaj, why are you giving them so much?'


"Who's Maharaj? whether it is Kapil Sibal on the other side. He said Sibal sahab, I heard that," she said.
Bedi accused Agnivesh of being absolutely unethical. The core Anna Team and Agnivesh had developed differences during the course of Hazare's fast.

Bedi told PTI that the footage has "shocked us all and we are very uncomfortable" with it.
"Only he can answer this. He should own it or reject. However it leaves no doubt. It obviously tell us what happened. He should tell us who is the person whom he mentioned in this," she added.
Agnivesh said, "These were lies and it is a cut and paste job. There are several people in my personal circle whose first name is Kapil. I never address political leaders as 'Maharaj'. Kapil Maharaj could be anyobody" he said without disclosing the identity of the person whom he was seen talking to on the video footage.
In the video, Agnivesh is seen coming out of the ground floor of a building, which could not be identified, talking over phone.

He was heard talking about about Parliament's appeal to Hazare to end his fast and the Gandhian's insistence on continuing with his hunger strike.

Agnivesh allegedly said that what the other side was doing against the government was not proper.
He purportedly tells the person on the other side that government should not concede anything and deal firmly as they were toughening their stand whenever government is conceding something.

In the video, Agnivesh also referred to Parliament's appeal and said that if Hazare is not ending his fast even after a 'big appeal' from the whole Parliament, then it was not good.

Team Anna to govt.: Withdraw Bill, will talk

Social activist Anna Hazare at the core committee
 meeting of the "India Against Corruption" movement
 during 6th day of his fast at Ramlila Ground in
New Delhi on Sunday

Team Anna on Sunday said the government should appoint a negotiator to hold talks with Anna Hazare on the Jan Lokpal Bill and withdraw its draft from Parliament to create “an atmosphere of trust”.

Swami Agnivesh, one of the members of Team Anna’s core committee, said they were open for talks but the government should create an atmosphere for it.

“If the government wants to talk to us it should appoint a negotiator,” he said.

“We are open for talks. In order to open a door for dialogue, the government has to create an atmosphere. They have to create an atmosphere of trust by withdrawing the government Bill from Parliament and introduce Jan Lokpal Bill. We will not budge from our stand. This is the least they should do to earn our trust,” Swami Agnivesh said.

To questions on “strong words” being used by both government and members of Team Anna, Swami Agnivesh said it would be good if both sides desist from using “such phrases” which could lead to any kind of confrontation.

On the meeting between senior Maharashtra government official and Mr. Hazare, he said the official has known the social activist for a long time and he met him in his personal capacity.