TIMES NEWS NETWORK
New Delhi: The Congress on Tuesday, while praising Anna Hazare's work in rural areas, questioned Anna Hazare's commitment to democracy by pointing out that dubbing the entire electorate "corrupt" was like belittling the entire people. The party also regretted the presence of a number of right-wingers at the protest site at Jantar Mantar.
Recalling Hazare's comments during his fast that he would lose an election badly since he was not in a position to distribute either money or liquor among voters, Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh said this amounted to demeaning the democratic process. "Does Hazare think that all voters are corrupt?" Singh asked, wondering whether the veteran social activist should have made such remarks. He also deplored the Gandhian's stated lack of faith in elected representatives and his harsh remarks about the political class. "Who else do you trust in a democracy?" he asked. Singh, however, praised Hazare for his path-breaking work in the rural sector and described him as an excellent human being with Gandhian credentials.
That still did not deter him from suspecting Hazares proximity to the RSS and pointing to the presence of a number of people with right-wing credentials at the Janatar Mantar protest. He said the image of Bharat Mata on his platform was an uncanny reminder of RSS shows but pointed out that the social activist had sought to draw a line by attaching the tricolour to the picture instead of the Sangh-style saffron.
He also took strong exception to Hazares praise for Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi. "He should pressure Modi to appoint a Lokayukta in Gujarat, the post has been vacant for seven years, Singh said. He also asked Swami Agnivesh and Arvind Kejriwal to check the credentials of some of the prominent faces on Hazares platform. Singhvi called for closer scrutiny of the NGO sector on the lines of the US laws. The Lokpal can look into all this, he said, pointing out that there was a need to take a close look at the expenses on protest actions like the Jantar Mantar show.
Advani bemoans
disdain for politicians
While supporting Anna Hazare's campaign for a "more effective" Lokpal Bill, senior BJP leader L K Advani, however, criticized those who were fanning disdain for politicians, saying that it amounted to a gross "disservice to democracy". Advani also criticized Congress leaders for suspecting Hazare of being an "RSS agent", and praised the social activist's response and the letter he wrote to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in this regard. Saying that Hazare's fast had forced the government to yield in just four days, Advani recalled that the Opposition had to struggle for two months to get the Centre set up a JPC to probe the 2G scam. TNN
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