Congress paid for ignoring graft, says ‘Team Anna’

Anti-corruption activist Anna Hazare said on Tuesday that the Congress would have fared much better in the just-concluded state elections if it had brought in the Jan Lokpal bill for a strong central anti-corruption watchdog.

At the same time, Hazare, who has been leading a strong anti-graft movement over the last year or so, distanced himself and his core team – dubbed by the media as 'Team Anna' – from having any direct role in the poor showing of the party that leads the union government.

"The result is the people's mandate. We have nothing to do with the Congress performance,'' Hazare told reporters at the Pune airport en route from Delhi to his home village of Ralegon Siddhi.

He said he wasn't sure if his movement had an impact on the poll results.

But he was quick to add, ''Had the Congress passed the Jan Lokpal bill [as drafted by team Anna], they wouldn't have to face this failure. They would have led the poll results ahead of all other parties.

''But they cheated … the entire country. They cheated in the joint drafting committee and the standing committee. That's why people rejected them. People rally behind those who work for the society and deliver.''