Anna a permanent source of inspiration: Kumar Vishwas

Reflecting a thaw in their relations with Anna Hazare, a team of Aam Aadmi Party on Thursday 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 dispatched to Ralegan Siddhi 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 mediapersons.

"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 (the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party) dilute it using the camouflage of words, we will not ace pt it and continue our political protests," he said.

Viswas said the 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 members of Legislative Assembly.

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

Asked about Hazare's reaction to AAP's stupendous performance in the Delhi assembly election, Vishwas said "Anna had congratulated us for winning the 28 seats in the elections and said that due some last minute problems (like sting operations on some of the party's candidates), we could not get absolute majority."

He said if no party forms a government and there is a re-poll, then "we have told Anna that we will come with absolute majority and we will pass the Anna's Janlokpal Bill, which we call Delhi Janlokpal Bill. We, along with all our MLAs will come here and give him a copy of the Bill after notifying in the gazette."

Vishwas also said that Hazare also expressed his happiness over the way "we managed to check distribution of liquor prior to elections and the way we contested elections.

"He was happy with they way we gave representation to Dalits and backward people in the party and said we should keep this tradition in the party," he said.

"Anna said that political pundits had never expected that our party would get so much seats. This shows that countrymen have awaken and if this awakening continues then we could be successful in getting some good laws," Vishwas said.

When asked whether AAP Convener Arvind Kejriwal had spoken to Hazare, Vishwas said he did speak to Hazare over phone and blessing Kejriwal, Hazare had said that he should take care of his health.

He also said that Kaejtiwal should not ruin his health so early as he has to fight some big battles for the country.

"When Arvind said he wanted to come despite his bad health, Anna said he should take proper rest and take care of his health. Arvind also asked Anna to break his fast, to which he said let us wait what is coming in Rajya Sabha," he said.