In an attempt to pressurise the government into accepting its version of the Lokpal Bill, Anna Hazare and his team is now relying heavily on support from anti-Congress political parties and is trying to bring these outfits together on a common platform during the Anna’s daylong token fast at Jantar Mantar on Sunday.
According to members in Team Anna, the BJP’s Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley will be participating in a political discussion on the Standing Committee’s report on the Lokpal Bill.
Others joining Mr Jaitley in the four-hour long debate will be A.B. Bardhan from the CPI, Brinda Karat of CPM, Sharad Yadav of JD(U), Chandrababu Naidu of TDP, Pinaki Misra of BJD and Ram Gopal Yadav of Samajwadi Party.
The move marks a significant departure in veteran Gandhian’s strategy who till now has shied away from his platform being used by political groupings. But this time anti-Congress parties will be rallying behind Anna though in the garb of a debate.
Even some within Anna’s core team admit that the move to bring together this assortment of political parties is a last ditch effort hoping that the government will concede to at least some of its demands. The team is hopeful that the government will at least agree to bring Group C and D employees under the ambit of the Lokpal.
Meanwhile, Mr Hazare on Saturday accused Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi of being responsible for the dilution of the Lokpal Bill.
“If despite the Prime Minister’s assurance, the Standing Committee has left out key issues out of the bill then it shows someone bigger than the Prime Minister is behind this. We suspect it could be Rahul Gandhi, else who can challenge the Prime Minister,’’ Anna remarked.
The comment, however, drew instant denial from the Congress with the Union law minister Salman Khurshid categorically stating that to the contrary Rahul Gandhi had specifically directed him to ensure that the government brings in an effective and strong Lokpal Bill of which the country should be proud.
Continuing his attack on Mr Gandhi, Mr Hazare said, “He is young. He could become the Prime Minister. But if he becomes Prime Minister with these kind of thoughts, then it will be dangerous for the country.”
At one point during his press conference, he also had comment on Sonia Gandhi’s illness in reply to a question. “She is ill. If we say something, her illness will increase,” he said while describing her as “leader of the country.”
While accusing the government of cheating people, Mr Hazare said he will campaign relentlessly across the country in the run up to the next Lok Sabha elections exposing those political forces that were against eradicating corruption from the country.
Though denying that there was any “back channel dialogue” currently on with the government, members of Team Anna were hopeful that the government will concede on some issues. Anna, who would be spending the next one week in the capital, will hold a crucial meeting of the core committee on December 14 and 15 to chalk out future strategy.
The committee will also discuss whether Anna should go an indefinite fast or not from December 27 at Ramlila Grounds if the government agrees to at least some of the demands. The committee will also deliberate on whether it should single out Congress and campaign against the party during the Lok Sabha polls.
The view now within the core committee is that post-Hissar byelection episode they should target MPs opposed to Jan Lokpal rather than a single political outfit.
On Sunday morning, Mr Hazare and his team will first visit Rajghat and then proceed to Jantar Mantar around 10 am for the token fast which is expected to finish around 5 in the evening.