An anti-graft Team Anna buy politics

India is about to get a new political party (or political front) with Team Anna seeking people’s views on providing a political alternative, possibly by entering politics.

Although Anna Hazare is yet to clearly spell out whether his team will join politics or support clean candidates and act as a pressure group, many are terming the move a logical next step forward for Team Anna.

Until recently Team Anna was steadfastly against entering politics.

The latest round of indefinite fast at Jantar Mantar in the heart of national capital had made some points amply clear.

The hunger strike was not going to bring in a Lokpal or for that matter an SIT against corrupt ministers despite some of the fasting members being close to being hospitalised without the fast yielding any result.

Team Anna today decided to end its indefinite fast tomorrow and take a plunge into politics.

"It is another two years to go to polls in 2014. We have to go to people throughout the country in the next one-and- half years".

"Why waste time on fasts? Tomorrow at 5 pm, all fast will end," Hazare told supporters at Jantar Mantar at the end of an address in which he enunciated the civil society's approach to providing a political alternative to the current system.

However, questions still remained as to what Team Anna would do regarding the political alternative and whether they would launch a party themselves.

Team Anna asked people to send their suggestions about politicial alternative through text messages or emails or through the opinion poll in their website.

Hazare's announcement on calling off the fast demanding Lokpal Bill at 5 pm tomorrow came on a day when a group of eminent personalities, including jurist V R Krishna Iyer and former Army Chief Gen V K Singh, appealed for an end to the fast as the health of Arvind Kejriwal and two others deteriorated.