New Delhi:
The day Anna Hazare starts his three-day fast for a strong Lokpal at Mumbai's MMRDA ground, Congress General Secretary Digvijaya Singh continued his attack on the Gandhian and his team of social activists.
Anna has been down with viral fever for the past three days and Mr Singh asked Team Anna why is the 74-year-old made to fast if he is unwell.
"For a change shouldn't Kejriwal, Kiran Bedi and the Bhushans fast instead of making Anna fast even when is unwell. Team Anna being cruel," Mr Singh wrote on micro-blogging site Twitter.
Yesterday, in answer to the Congress' latest set of allegations that Anna 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."
(Read: Congress, Team Anna trade blows) Mr Kejriwal also said, "Corruption does not look at religion...the corrupt want to divide us."
Mr Singh, pointing to a report published on the front page of a prominent Hindi daily, had said 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.