The current mood in the Congress is to expose Team Anna by ignoring it after realising that it has been playing tricks to remain in the limelight and the media glare.
Its real intention is not to fight against corruption, but to target the Centre with the help of the Sangh Parivar, the party feels.
Interestingly, it has been maintaining silence on the corruption in the BJP-ruled states.
“It (Team Anna) took up the Lokpal issue only after realising that the government is bringing a bill on it in Parliament,” a party official said.
Drawing attention to how Team Anna is changing positions, a party official said it first decided to focus on Lokpal, then it spoke in “separatist language” with regard to Kashmir, then announced plans to campaign against the Congress in the just-held bypolls.
The RSS and the BJP are openly backing Team Anna, whose political ambition has become clear, Congress officials felt.
The AICC on Tuesday made it clear that it has not asked anyone to meet either Mr Anna Hazare or his team members on behalf of the party, including MP P.T. Thomas and Maharashtra Congress chief Manikrao Thakre.
In fact, Mr Thakre’s meeting with Mr Hazare some time back in his native village has also not gone down well with the leadership.
On the other hand, the Congress is not amused with Mr Thomas following the controversy over the failure of Mr Anna Hazare’s associates to meet Mr Rahul Gandhi.
“These were personal ventures of Thomas, who has also visited Ralegan Siddhi as also Mr Thakre and there was no consent from the AICC,” a senior Congress leader who declined to be identified said. “There was no prior knowledge, no consent and no appointment of the Ralegan Siddhi sarpanch with Rahul Gandhi. And this has also been clarified by Thomas,” AICC general secretary Janardan Dwivedi said.
A senior leader said that it was not appropriate that anyone should force an appointment and try to create an atmosphere through the media that it has been denied.
A senior Congress leader remained non-committal when asked whether action could be taken against the MP.