The grand old party is showing its mean face. Rattled by the huge groundswell of support for veteran Gandhian Anna Hazare, who began a fast unto-death to press for a comprehensive anti-corruption watchdog law, the ruling Congress party reacted on Tuesday by trying to discredit Hazare's growing movement.
The party's counter-offensive hinged on the shocking claim that persons like Hazare were acting like agents of the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS).
Liberally loading its smear brush with saffron, a senior party leader fumed, "He is not a Gandhian, but an RSS agent." The insinuation, however, doesn't seem to be registering with the thousands of ordinary citizens who joined Hazare in a protest sit-in at Jantar Mantar, even as spontaneous demonstrations of support erupted across the nation.
Clearly, a cornered Congress, which has so far failed to deflect attention from the many scams and scandals surrounding many of its senior leaders, is finding Hazare's call for holding elected representatives accountable, uncomfortable.
"This is a fight for ridding our India of corruption. I am ready to die for the nation," Hazare said on Monday, amid loud cheers from his supporters and civil society leaders like former top cop Kiran Bedi, social activist Swami Agnivesh and MAGSAYSAY award winner Sandeep Pandey, shortly after beginning his fast. He had earlier visited Raj Ghat to launch the campaign.
Vociferous Protest: Anna Hazare, Kiran Bedi and other activists during the anti-corruption stir in New Delhi on Tuesday.
"I will not rest till the government agrees to form a joint committee comprising 50 per cent officials and the remaining citizens and intellectuals to draft the Jan Lokpal Bill," Hazare said at Raj Ghat. He then proceeded to India Gate in an open jeep where Tricolour waving supporters, including school students, were waiting.
But the Congress is seeing darker designs behind the movement. Senior party leaders, while refusing to go on record, said similar campaigns had been launched in 1972 in the form of the "JP movement" to destabilise Indira Gandhi in the aftermath of the Bangladesh War. Later, the same was done to the Rajiv Gandhi, when the spectre of the Bofors scam was raised, they said. "The same forces in different form have now infiltrated Hazare's campaign, while some civil society activists have been co-opted," a Congress leader said.
Hazare went ahead with his agitation despite an appeal from the PMO on Monday night, which expressed disappointment over his decision to go on fast unto death. The PMO release said that the Prime Minister has "enormous respect for Hazare and his mission".
Hazare is not convinced. "The PM says we trust you (Hazare), we respect you. But, then why did the PM not sit with us even once after the meeting last month?" asked Hazare.
The anti-corruption crusader said he was disappointed after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had, in his last meeting with social activists over the proposed law to tackle corruption, rejected their demand for a joint committee.
"If the government alone drafts this bill, it will be autocratic not democratic, there will be discrepancies," Hazare, who has observed fasts to protest against corruption many times in the past, said.
He lamented that views of eminent persons like Justice (Retd) Santosh Hegde, lawyer Prashant Bhushan and Agnivesh were not considered important by the government.
Officially, the Congress appealed to Hazare to call off his fast and discuss his inputs with the PM and the government to give teeth to the Lok Pal Bill. "Hazare should heed the PM's appeal and engage in a constructive discourse," said AICC spokesperson Manish Tewari.
Terming the indefinite hunger strike by Hazare as premature, Tewari said the government had already constituted a panel headed by defence minister A.K. Antony to go into the issue.
"We respect Hazare very much but the path he has adopted is premature," Tewari told reporters.
Noting that the PMO has appropriately articulated its disappointment over Hazare's course of action, he said in a democracy, the government moves the bill and Parliament enacts it.
"And in between there is enough scope that if any constructive suggestion comes, amendments can be moved," he said requesting Hazare to engage in "constructive discussion." He downplayed questions on National Advisory Council's reported rejection of the draft Lokpal Bill saying that in a democracy, differences always exist and a harmonious consensus is arrived at through healthy discussions.
Tewari said he found BJP advice to the Congress surprising. "The BJP is in the habit of giving unsolicited advice. If the BJP does see merit in what Hazare is saying, it should move amendments."
The party says it has no problem with the Bill hanging fire for over four decades, but the course adopted by Hazare which is fraught with dangers. "The entire democratic process can be held to ransom if some maverick sits on a dharna demanding this or that," a senior Congresman said.
While the party was officially restrained, senior party leaders came down heavily on Hazare saying that his so called movement against corruption was supported by characters like yoga guru Ram Dev, and "RSS backers" like Gurumurthy.
"The RSS is paranoid about the investigations into the terror network built by some of its activists and is hell bent on toppling this government before the probe reaches top saffron leaders," a leader claimed.
Asked why the Congress was targeting Hazare, he said the party was only pointing out the selective nature of the campaign.
"No one went on a fast for Lok Pal Bill when V. P. Singh was the Prime Minister, or Deve Gowda or Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Hazare has not said a word against the corruption of Karnataka chief minister B.S. Yeddyurappa, (which has) been documented by state Lokayutka, he alleged.
When reminded that eminent persons like Kiran Bedi, Swami Agnivesh and others also supported Hazare, he attacked them as well. Bedi, for instance, is "somebody looking for a postretirement identity," he said.
HISTORY OF THE BILL
The first mention of an anti-corruption ombudsman (Lokpal) was made in the early 1960s when Jawaharlal Nehru was PM. But it was in 1966 that a Lokpal was proposed at the Centre and Lokayuktas in states
In 1968, a Lokpal Bill was presented for the first time in the fourth Lok Sabha. The House passed it in 1969. But while it was pending, LS was dissolved
The Bill was revived in 1971, 1977, 1985, 1989, 1996, 1998 and 2001. But each time, it was referred to some committee of Parliament
The most recent revival effort was in 2008, when UPA-I was in power. The government has now prepared a rough draft of the Bill
A fresh movement for an effective Lokpal began in 2010 after a series of scams. An alternative draft - Jan Lokpal Bill - was prepared by activists India Against Corruption under the guidance of Karnataka Lokayukta Justice Santosh Hegde and senior lawyer Prashant Bhushan
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