A Haryana Congress leader confessed he and many of his colleagues supported Hazare’s anti-corruption movement and went on fast for a Lokpal.
Team Anna’s campaign against the Congress in Hisar by-election seems to have left the party in confusion how to deal with the anti-corruption crusader.
A Haryana Congress leader confessed he and many of his colleagues supported Hazare’s anti-corruption movement and went on fast for a Lokpal. They felt betrayed when he issued a statement that people should vote against the Congress.
Worse, the leadership could not make up its mind about the stance they should take towards Hazare’s call to vote against the Congress as long as a strong Lokpal is not brought in.
The Congress confusion was laid bare when they denied the impact of the Anna campaign against the party and still chose to counter the campaign by hitting out against civil society activists in general.
The Congress and Team Anna are playing a mind-game with the intention of pressuring each other. Anna’s associates are realistic enough to know that the Congress is not in the winning league and their efforts are only meant to exert pressure on the party and the government. The party’s central leaders’ real intention is to attack the BJP and the RSS more than Hazare. In the Congress’ view, Hazare is a mere pawn in the hands of the RSS.
The strange dichotomy in approach remains at the Centre as well. Prime minister Manmohan Singh writes to Hazare and assures him that a strong Lokpal would be a reality. Law and justice minister Salman Khurshid made the helpful suggestion that the Lokpal could be made a constitutional authority as party general secretary Rahul Gandhi had suggested.
However, on the other hand, the party is unrelenting, with Digvijay Singh, Manish Tiwari and BK Hari Prasad saying the Anna movement is an orchestrated conspiracy against the Congress and the government.
Meanwhile, Anna and his team have a hardened their stance against the government more than against the Congress party. The drama is set to be replayed in Uttar Pradesh where the Anna’s campaigners want to take on the Congress again. The truth is that the Congress is not a player to reckon with in UP, and as in Hissar, the Lokpal campaigners will attack the Congress while other political players would make merry.
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