Anna Hazare salvo at Rahul Gandhi for ‘bill dilution’

PUNE: Social activist Anna Hazare on Friday blamed Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi for diluting the Lokpal Bill draft, saying he "strongly suspected'' him of "interfering" in the legislation process to make it weak.

"Gandhi said he wanted the Lokpal to be a constitutional body, but he does not say there will be no government interference in its functioning. The law about Lokpal must have a provision to rule out such interference," Hazare told reporters at Ralegan Siddhi.

The activist threatened to go on an eight-day hunger strike at Delhi's Ramlila Maidan from December 27, if the bill is not passed or a weak legislation is passed during the Parliament's winter session. Hazare said he would then stage a three-day agitation each in poll-bound states of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur and tell people that the government was cheating them. "I am aware that the government will not allow me to continue my fast beyond eight days."

The Gandhian accused the government of having "wrong intentions" about the Lokpal and going back on its promises. "The Prime Minister gave me a written assurance in August about including lower-ranking government officials in the ambit of Lokpal, having a citizen's charter and setting up a strong Lokayukta in every state on the lines of the Lokpal," he said.

"Parliament gave a letter to this effect to the standing committee. Still, the promises were not kept. Isn't this cheating?" He said the people should hold the government responsible if anything happens to him during the agitation. "Even if I die, people will say there was a mad man, who always fought for the people's causes."

Hazare reiterated his demand for the CBI and the PM's inclusion in the Lokpal purview besides the right to recall.

Congress looks to open up cracks in Team Anna

NEW DELHI: Congress tried to drive a wedge in Team Anna, saying the Gandhian took a vow of silence to avoid answering difficult queries on the shenanigans of his aides, like Prashant Bhushan's demand for plebiscite in Kashmir, inflated travel bills of Kiran Bedi and Arvind Kejriwal calling Parliament inferior to Anna Hazare.

The Congress barb sought to reopen the tricky issues which have divided the motley group held together by the glue of anti-graft campaign. While Hazare immediately dissociated himself from Bhushan's views on Kashmir, the team brushed the issue under the carpet lest it start a fissionary tendency in the core team.

But Congress's fresh salvo, asking Hazare to come clean on Kashmir because Bhushan represented him before the parliamentary committee on Thursday, sought to confront the Gandhian with uncomfortable queries again.

"Anna should clarify because Indians will never accept plebiscite in Kashmir. It is against India and in favour of the stand taken by Pakistan," Congress spokesperson Rashid Alvi said, rubbing it in by saying that the Gandhian's 'maun vrat" was to avoid these difficult queries about his aides.

The focus on Kashmir came amid raised pitch in Congress which dubbed the actions of Hazare's aides as flippant. "Someone wants a plebiscite in Kashmir, another gives inflated tour bills, yet another person calls Hazare above Parliament. Where do they want to take this country?" Alvi asked.

With winter session of Parliament looming, Hazare camp's attempt to retrain focus on Congress has angered the ruling party which feels the Gandhian's warning to government despite assurances on Lokpal was inspired by its rivals.

The anger showed as Alvi made light of Hazare's assurance that his campaign after Lokpal bill is passed would not target any party but only seek votes for good people. "Else, if the Lokpal is not passed, he will seek votes for bad people," Alvi mocked.

Congress's raised pitch was widely seen as an attempt to not let Team Anna gain the upper hand in the run-up to the winter session. It called his letter to the PM as unnecessary while dismissing Kejriwal's cheque to the PM as an "insult to the high office". Alvi said, "Kejriwal should have returned the money to his superior in the government department he worked in."