New Delhi: Hisar in Haryana votes on Thursday for its next Lok Sabha MP. The election has turned into a huge prestige point between the Congress and anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare.
Anna and his activists have asked voters not to support the Congress. A defeat for the party, they say, will prove that its leaders need to ensure a new anti-corruption Jan Lokpal Bill (People's Ombudsman Bill) is passed in Parliament in the winter session.
Digvijaya Singh of the Congress has today written a letter to Anna, faulting the Gandhian for campaigning against the Congress. "I am writing this open letter to you with great regret. I have great respect for you and this is a sentiment that I have held ever since I visited you in Ralegaon Siddhi. When I was Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, you visited our villages and helped us with water-harvesting. I used to touch your feet to seek your blessings," Mr Singh writes. "However, a few developments in recent weeks have put me in a dilemma. It looks as if a few people who are close to you are influencing you. These are people who have always opposed Congress ideology. They are exploiting your clean image for their gain," he says.
(Read Digvijaya's enitre letter)Anna is not visiting Hisar personally. But his representatives including Arvind Kejriwal and Kiran Bedi have addressed numerous rallies urging people to prove to the Congress that they will not tolerate "a government of the corrupt." In retaliation, Mr Singh has said in his letter to Anna today, "The government is committed to passing the Lokpal Bill. Why have you adopted an anti-Congress stance?"
The by-election comes after Bhajan Lal of the Haryana Janhit Congress Party died in June while still serving his term. His son, Kuldeep Bishnoi, is the candidate for the Haryana Janhit Congress, and is supported by the BJP. He faces stiff competition from Ajay Chautala of the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), whose father Om Prakash Chautala has served as the state's chief minister. The Congress has chosen as its candidate Jai Prakash. He placed third in the elections for the same Lok Sabha seat in 2009, but enjoys the confidence of Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda.
Mr Singh in his letter says that Team Anna is indirectly helping Mr Bishnoi and Mr Chautala, whose family has been investigated by the CBI for corruption and wealth that cannot be accounted for - at one point, the Chautalas' assets were evaluated at nearly 1,500 crores. Mr Chautala says he's confident that Team Anna is rooting for him. "His (Anna's) team is openly speaking against the Congress," he said, "they have also spoken against Bishnoi. So it's clear who they are supporting. I will of course benefit from their support," he said today.
The BJP, meanwhile, has claimed that Team Anna would like to see Mr Bishnoi win - a theory rejected by Mr Kejriwal. In fact, both he and Ms Bedi say that there are 39 other candidates available to voters who don't want to support the Congress, Mr Chautala or Mr Bishnoi.