New Delhi:
After Anna Hazare issued a strong statement on Rahul Gandhi not meeting a delegation from his village, the Congress said today that it has great respect for Anna and his associates. The Congress says that when the sarpanch of Ralegan Siddhi and others arrived in Delhi, they did not have a confirmed appointment with Mr Gandhi. Digvijaya Singh of the Congress said that Mr Gandhi was in fact away to Bhutan. Anna says that the sarpanch is right to declare that even if Mr Gandhi grants him an appointment now, he will not attend. We asked you to share your comments.
Here are the Top 10 (note some comments have been shortened)
ash4U: If Rahul can visit village without appointment then he can also meet people without appointment. What would have been a harm if he would have met them without appointment?
Ramshad: No. Without proper prior confirmation from Rahul's office, how can they expect to meet him? This is just to get public sympathy from common people. Team Anna is overdoing things now. Day by day they are involving into politics too much. Whenever they get a chance to tarnish Congress and their leaders, they are utilising it to the max.
Avinash: It was publicly known for last few days that team is going to visit Rahul as per appointment. Why Rahul or any other Congress leaders did not react/realise that earlier? If he would have been real leader there is no appointment required. He is not a minister, he could have spoken to them over phone at least. rather than denying the appointment fix.
Abrar: It is incredible that Anna actually has the audacity to think Rahul Gandhi should have meet his representatives. On the one hand Team Anna campaigns against the Congress and on the other they want a meeting with their General Secretary. Amazing.
NA Ananthanarayan: Of Course, he should have met the sarpanch who travelled all the way. Moreover as public servant, it is not necessarily that everyone has to go thro series of appointment.
Amit: I don't understand why so much coverage is being given to this issue? Anna does not want to join politics, but he and his team are getting increasingly involved with each passing day. And Rahul does not have any significant contribution in the political arena as yet to merit so much coverage/importance. A meeting between Rahul and Anna's team seems inconsequential as of now, given that there have already been several meetings between Anna's team and the 'true' government representatives earlier this year.
Latshare: Granted that party MP apologised for the fiasco and Rahul could have been busy elsewhere. Still it was a golden opportunity that Rahul and his media managers have blown up. When made aware Rahul could have called-up the Ralegan Reps, expressed regrets for the inconvenience caused to them by the overzealous Congress MP, and assured them of an appointment sometime in neaar future. This 5 minute display of graciousness would have earned him a huge amount of goodwill.
Pramod: Yes of course. When he projects himself for the downtrodden and visits villages, eats with them, stays with them, what is wrong in meeting Ralegaon Team.
Soumya: This is the right step taken by Rahul Gandhi. If any Sarpanch and his team comes to meet him witout an appointment, can they meet him? So why a special treatment to the sarpanch if he has come from Anna's village? If he starts obliging people without appointment, there is no end to this.
Netrikkannyayman: The six persons from Anna's village should have secured firm confirmation of date and time of meeting authoritatively from Rahul's office before the journey! The MP, who caused them inconvenience should compensate them and make a public apology! No one could comment on Rahul in this context.