Congress calls Anna a tyrant
Confrontation between the Congress and the civil society, led by Anna Hazare, intensifies further ahead of the next meeting of the joint drafting committee on Lokpal bill. The Congress on Monday sharpened its attack on Mr Hazare
virtually describing him as a tanashah (tyrant), saying that the so called civil society cannot undermine Parliament.
On the other hand, Mr Hazare accused office-bearers of the Congress and Union ministers of intentionally “defaming” the Lokpal movement.
In Ahmednagar (Maharashtra) he said, “They (the government) making a lot of allegations, including the so-called hidden support and political agenda designed by the RSS and BJP, is a sheer humiliation of sentiments of common Indians. They are trying to demoralise and confuse agitators fighting against corruption and this proves the insensitivity of government,” according to PTI.
In New Delhi, Congress spokesman Manish Tewari said, “The greatest danger to the democracy is from the unelected dictator... if democracy faces its biggest peril, it is from the tyranny of the unelected and tyranny of the unelectible.” However, he did not name Mr Hazare or the BJP or RSS.
When told that he was describing Mr Hazare as an “unelected dictator”, Mr Tewari said “These are not my words... I have made a generic statement.”
The Congress is building its campaign against Mr Hazare by suggesting his proximity to the BJP, NDA and the RSS recalling how the social activist had recently praised Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi and the BJP supported Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar.
After the success in checking Baba Ramdev, Mr Hazare is in the Congress’ firing line. This is because the Congress-led UPA faced the first non-political movement against corruption from the civil society led by Mr Hazare and Ramdev. The Congress also told Mr Hazare that its magnanimity should not be construed as a weakness.
Replying to a question on a sudden change in the language and attitude of the Congress for Mr Hazare and Ramdev, Mr Tewari said, “Yes, there has been revision in the assessment.”
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