New Delhi:
The Congress' insistence that its leader Rahul Gandhi was not scheduled to meet Anna Hazare's representatives in Delhi is likely to add to the frisson between the government and Anna's team of anti-corruption activists.
Six people from Anna's village - Ralegan Siddhi - arrived in Delhi yesterday, ready to meet with Mr Gandhi today - only to discover they were not on Mr Gandhi's calendar.
The delegation - which includes the village Sarpanch and Anna's personal secretary Suresh Pathare - believes that given how far they've travelled, Mr Gandhi should have met them anyway, "Even if invited again, will never agree to come back even if others do," said the Sarpanch, Jaisingh Rao Mapari.
But the Congress says there was a misunderstanding. "There was a communication gap in my office. For that purpose I am apologizing to the Sarpanch and the other members who were coming from Ralegan Siddhi," said PT Thomas, the Congress Member of Parliament who visited Anna's hometown a month ago. Anna's team says that at that time, they asked if it was possible to meet Mr Gandhi, and were advised by Mr Thomas to write to Mr Gandhi's office requesting an appointment.
"I spent more than eight hours there and we visited Anna Ji's temple school and stayed at his residence", recalled Mr Thomas. "The people there asked me if there is any possibility to meet Rahul Ji. Unfortunately, I was (later) in Kerala and in my absence my office informed these people that after the 15th, you try to come here." The Congress spokesperson Janardhan Dwivedi added, "There was no prior knowledge, no consent and there was no appointment."
Anna's personal secretary countered, "We have come here after being told that we have an appointment with Rahul Gandhi on October 18 at 9 am. We came here believing the words of the MP. Now the MP says there was a communication gap. We are returning home."
The Congress and Team Anna have barely been on speaking terms since the activists campaigned vociferously in Hisar in Haryana, turning the by-election there into a prestige point. Team Anna asked voters to defeat the Congress to telegraph that unless the party is able to deliver the anti-corruption Lokpal Bill in the winter session of parliament, bigger elections coming up in the next few months will also humble the Congress. The party's candidate in Hisar fared so poorly that he lost his deposit. But analysts warn that the Congress had performed abysmally in Hisar in 2009 as well, during the last election, and that its defeat cannot be attributed to Team Anna. Others criticize the activists for taking a political stand by asking voters to snub the Congress. But today, at NDTV's Indian of the Year Awards, Anna's closest aide Arvind Kejriwl said his group has nothing against the Congress. "They are in power at the Centre... and so the responsibility of pushing through the Lokpal Bill rests with the UPA," he said. (
Watch) Mr Kejriwal also said that if activists are invited to talks with Mr Gandhi, they will meet him - or any other party interested in dialogue on the Lokpal Bill, which births a new independent agency capable of investigating complains of corruption among government servants.