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."