The Congress party, feeling the heat on the issue of corruption, is gearing up to launch a counteroffensive against the BJP and the Sangh Parivar for “denigrating democratic institutions”. It has decided to hold public meetings on this issue across the country before the Monsoon Session of Parliament begins next month.
The party has prepared an “action plan” at a time when the Opposition parties are coming together to put the Centre in the dock and non-political leaders like Anna Hazare, Baba Ramdev and civil society members are coming to the fore to lead the agitation against corruption and for good governance. The Congress is unlikely to take the allies with it in this fight for obvious reasons.
It has prepared a 15-page booklet, “The Congress View on Present Situation-1”, and will vigorously counter the BJP-led NDA, which sees the corruption issue as either splitting the UPA or influencing the Assembly elections in about half-a dozen states in the next year.
“Right-wing fundamentalist forces are currently under pressure for two reasons. The first is that they have lost political ground and are unable to win elections. The second is that they have been found out and are now accused in several terrorist cases, including the bomb blasts cases of Malegaon, Mecca Masjid and Samjhauta Express,” the booklet says. It also cautioned the people about the dangers of “communalism, religious fundamentalism and right-wing extremism”.
Under attack over its handling of the corruption issue, the Congress sought to take the battle to the Opposition camp by alleging an RSS hand in a “sinister design” to destabilise the government.