New Team Anna may back Arvind Kejriwal's party: Kiran Bedi

Hyderabad: Team Anna may support Arvind Kejriwal's yet-to-be-launched political party when elections come, Kiran Bedi, a member of the new Team Anna, said in Hyderabad on Friday. "We will support any honesty. Since he (Kejriwal) stands for promoting integrity, obviously he will be eligible for our support," she told reporters on the sidelines of the Indian School of Business (ISB) Leadership Summit-2013.

She said that Team Anna has no differences with Kejriwal, saying that the activist-turned-politician has chosen the electoral way to fight corruption. "There are no differences with Kejriwal. He wanted to take the electoral route and we wanted to take the non-electoral route. It is his feeling that it is time to take the electoral route," she said.

On the Prime Minister being exempted from the purview of the Jan Lokpal Bill on issues such as Defence, Foreign Affairs and Law and Order, she said that issue was debatable further. "We are waiting for the select committee recommendations. I think the most important part of the recommendations will be how independent is the CBI, how independent will be the director selected and whether he or she can be reemployed or not, besides does he report to the Lokpal or not," she said.

Denying any differences with Kejriwal, Bedi said that the activist-turned-politician had chosen the electoral way to fight corruption.

The select committee report on the Lokpal Bill which has recommended delinking creation of Lokayuktas in states from the central bill, was tabled in the Rajya Sabha on Friday.

The controversial bill, which was passed by the Lok Sabha last year, faced opposition in the Rajya Sabha due to various provisions, including the one making it mandatory for states to set up Lokayuktas. The Prime Minister has been exempted from the ambit of the Lokpal Bill on issues of external and internal security, atomic energy, international relations and public order.

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