TIMES NEWS NETWORK
New Delhi: Congress stepped up the offensive against the Anna Hazare-led civil society groups, saying they needed to rethink the direction they were giving to democracy by trying to muzzle a section of viewpoint.
A day after Hazare shot off a letter to Congress chief Sonia Gandhi asking her to rein in leaders speaking against activists, the party refused to relent on its stand that criticism was part of democratic discourse. There is reluctance in Congress to reply to Hazare’s letter, with many suspecting that it was part of a strategy to put the party on the defensive.
AICC spokesman Manish Tewari said, “If you say that only you have the right to place your views and the others cannot even react to it, then you need to think in what direction you are taking the country’s democracy and what kind of precedents you are setting.”
The reaction came on Hazare’s complaint to the Congress chief that AICC general secretary Digvijay Singh’s comments were unjustified and asked if he had her support. He also wrote against the alleged misrepresentation of facts by HRD minister Kapil Sibal and the controversial CDs against Shanti Bhushan and son Prashant.
Congress, however, has decided to retaliate. The party sent out a clear word that there would be no let up in criticism and the high standards of probity were applicable to civil society too.
Spokesman Tewari stuck to the party’s aggression. He said, “It is wrong to view political debate as allegations... everybody has a right to express his views in public in a democratic country with democratic values.”
While Hazare referred to Sonia’s letter during his “fast unto death” to say that they shared a common concern for graft, he may not get a reply to the fresh missive. The party spokesman indicated as much when he said, “If at all there is a requirement, the letter would definitely be responded to. If and when it is responded to, if it is appropriate, we will definitely share it with you.”
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