New Delhi:
It is a high stakes battle and neither side is pulling punches. So in answer to the Congress' latest set of allegations that Anna Hazare has links with the RSS, activist Arvind Kejriwal fielded a group of community leaders today to endorse Anna's secular credentials. And continued the slugfest that is taking place on the sidelines of the main Lokpal war that Team Anna has waged on the UPA government.
"The government and other elements are indulging in propaganda that our protest is being done by the RSS and is anti-Dalit. This is wrong," said Arvind Kejriwal, flanked by Muslim leaders who said, "we had a good conversation, all our doubts have been cleared."
Mr Kejriwal also said, "Corruption does not look at religion...the corrupt want to divide us."
Mr Kejriwal is in Mumbai making preparations for Anna Hazare's three-day hungerstrike that begins at the same time tomorrow that Parliament reconvenes to discuss and vote on the Lokpal Bill. Anna Hazare says the government has tabled a weak Bill and unless amendments are made to meet his key demands before it becomes law, he will visit Delhi he will take his battle to the Congress' doorstep by sitting in protest outside the homes of Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.
That, says Anna, will be the beginning of a "jail-bharo" movement; Team Anna has exhorted the people of the country to sign up online for this and since registration was announced on Saturday; Over a lakh people have already pledged to join online. Beyond that, is the stated threat that Team Anna will campaign against the Congress in five election-bound states.
The Congress will not take Team Anna's attack lying low and the slugfest that began yesterday, has spilled over and continues today. It began with Congress General Secretary Digvijaya Singh pointing to a report published on the front page of a prominent Hindi daily to say that Mr Hazare had worked as a secretary with RSS leader Nanaji Deshmukh and had trained in Gonda in 1983.
"And he denied any association with RSS! Now whom do we believe Facts with Picture and the claim of RSS or Anna? I am again proved right", tweeted Mr Singh.
Team Anna was quick to retaliate. Mr Hazare's close aide Kiran Bedi tweeted a picture of Digvijaya Singh sharing a dais with Mr Deshmukh and questioned his RSS links. "Does sharing of the dais make one each other's agent? Next time should one sit alone? When two persons share a dais do they become each other's agents?" she tweeted.
However, Mr Singh was unrelenting in challenging Mr Hazare's campaign. "The thing is that Anna Hazare has worked with Nanaji Deshmukh in Gonda. I haven't. RSS has published a book on Anna Hazare. RSS hasn't published any book on Digvijaya till date, only slangs," he said.
Mr Hazare has steadfastly refuted such allegations before and he did so again, saying the charges were being levelled by the "supporters of corruption."
"The allegations prove that supporters of corruption in India have no valid issues left," the 74-year-old Gandhian said dismissively.
This morning, Mr Singh continued his tweet attack, "Anna worked as a Secretary with Nanaji still I have no problem but why Anna refuses to accept that he has the support of RSS (sic)," he tweeted. And then added, "My picture with Nanaji is when as CM I shared dais with him at the Chitrakoot University where he was the Chancellor Never worked for him," (sic) he added.
For good measure, his party colleague and Congress spokesperson Rashid Alvi aimed one at the BJP, which is the political arm of the Sangh Parivar. He said, "Whenever someone asks Annaji about his relationship with the RSS-BJP, instead of Annaji or his team giving an answer, the BJP and the RSS stand up and deny any association...They should be happy, in fact, when someone says that they are affiliated with Anna. This is a very strange matter."