Core Team Anna under attack, but Nagpur chapter as determined as ever

TOI NEWS - Team Anna's core committee is certainly making headlines on a daily basis, albeit for mostly the wrong reasons.

Things started with Prashant Bhushan's comments on Kashmir and the attack that followed. Soon it was Arvind Kejriwal who was assaulted with a shoe and recently served notice by the Income Tax department for recovery of dues. Kiran Bedi's name too has managed to squeeze on to the front pages over allegations of inflated travel bills.

Team Anna has regularly dismissed the allegations and incidents as an effort by vested interests to divert attention from the Gandhian's campaign and demoralize the ground level volunteers.

However the Nagpur chapter of India Against Corruption (IAC) feels that the 'mudslinging' campaign has been counterproductive.

Ajay Sanghi, the Nagpur coordinator for IAC, said, "Ever since the smear campaign gathered momentum our people have become more determined. This is a good sign for us since we are gaining support rather than people deserting us. Volunteers are saying that politicians have fallen to pitiful levels by resorting to such tricks. Rather than working to bring in a strong Lokpal these people are more interested in mud raking."

This issue is being discussed within the IAC circles strongly since media coverage to the allegations might affect public opinion. But their members believe that the transparent lifestyles of their core committee will ensure that truth prevails.

"They are saying that Kiran Bedi inflated travel bills, but I think she saved money. I was speaking to a driver of an auto rickshaw and he felt that the government should be more worried about the thousand crore scams that are rocking the country today," said Sanghi.

However, psychiatrist Dr. Kausar Abbasi feels the 'crowd' does not necessarily react in that way. Abbasi, said, "It is a normal psychological reaction of people at large to react to shocking news, rather than the mundane ones. So when you hear or read allegations of Kiran Bedi being corrupt, people start getting interested. They start discussing among their peers and the allegations are further substantiated by the overall paranoia we have about the all pervasive corruption. People feel that if politicians, policemen and bureaucrats can be corrupt then how come these people are clean?"

He adds that when discussions on allegations start among peers, the news is always lost in translation. "The person who has not read the news about allegations against Bedi will hear from his friend and will start questioning her. Then he will tell someone else and his version will be less of allegations on Bedi and more a testimony of proven guilt," said Abbasi.

While almost all citizens that TOI spoke to believed that members of Team Anna are being wrongfully accused, there are some who have started to wonder about the same. Anish Goodae, a private company employee, said, "Reading all this news I have become confused now. I know the politicians are all corrupt but not sure if Team Anna can resort to such things. But it will be great if somehow Team Anna can prove their innocence so that no doubt remains."