Clean people to be inducted in expanded core committee: Hazare

With Team Anna members coming under attack, Anna Hazare on Sunday said the core committee will be expanded but a "sharp eye" will be kept on new members so that people with only clean background are part of the movement. 

The 74-year-old activist said he will not pick just any one for the committee and a background check will be conducted before inducting new members. 

"One thing good about this agitation is that people have come forward. Thousands of people have come up. People are ready to join the protest. Now, we just have to search the people. We will find good people," he said after a meeting of the core committee in Ralegan Siddhi.

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"Now, we will keep a sharp check on all the new members of the committee. I won't pick just any," he said.

"We have many people ready to serve. We will send our people to check their background. Will check if they have any police case. A person of character will be chosen. A graduate, Muslim, Dalit, adivasi, all will be taken," he said. 

However, the number in the core committee will not go beyond 80, he said. His comments come close on the heels of Team Anna members facing flak after getting engulfed in a series of controversies including financial misconduct. 

Noting that the country runs on laws, he said, "If today Jan Lokpal comes, we also have to make other laws in future. By the time the country becomes corruption-free, we will have to make new and different laws". 

He said a meeting will be held in Delhi as soon as possible where the working committee will be selected. "We will do the selection of the working committee and we will also train them. Training is very important, whether it is for two-three days, but it is important. After training, our foundation will be strong," he said. 

"We do not have any set agenda for the meeting but we got the link and we have discussed all this today," he said.