The Congress stepped up its attack against civil society representatives led by Gandhian Anna Hazare and questioned their credentials. This is at a time when party chief Sonia Gandhi made it clear that she is not supporting the politics of smear campaign.
“Why have they ignored civil society activists like Aruna Roy and Harsh Mander? I think they are more qualified and their credentials are much better than Arvind Kejriwal,” AICC general secretary Digvijay Singh said.
At the AICC briefing, party spokesperson Jayanthi Natarajan steered clear of the Noida land allotment controversy surrounding eminent lawyer Shanti Bhushan, who is a member of the joint drafting committee on the Lokpal Bill, and his lawyer son Jayant.
“That is a matter for them to answer and not for us,” she said in reply to a volley of questions on the issue. Asked whether Mr Shanti Bhushan and Mr Prashant Bhushan should withdraw from the joint committee after the controversy, she said it was for the government and them to decide. The Congress has no view on this, she said.
Speaking separately, Mr Singh dismissed as “absolutely rubbish” the contention of the civil society representatives that the Congress was targeting them. He said that Mrs Gandhi and the Congress does not believe in all these. “I have not cast aspersions on them. There should be absolute transparency in what they are doing. If they demand transparency, they should give transparency as well,” he said. “The background picture of ‘Bharat Mata’ (put up on the dais where Mr Hazare went on fast at Jantar Mantar here) resembles the Bharat Mata which the RSS usually puts in the background. Then Mahatma Gandhi’s photograph is also missing from the background,” he said.
The AICC general secretary also dismissed allegations about the Congress trying to divide the civil society group. “Who is dividing? The first person who objected to the father and the son (Shanti Bhushan and Prashant Bhushan) to be in the drafting committee was Baba Ramdev and not Digvijay Singh”, he said.
He also said that Mrs Gandhi was the first leader in the country who openly supported Mr Hazare’s movement against corruption and the Congress would go to any extent to see that corruption is minimised.
Ms Natarajan debunked as “frivolous and absolutely baseless” Mr Hazare’s charge about the smear campaign. “There is no need for the Congress to discredit anybody. It just shows complete bankruptcy of ideas,” she said.
“It is between those levelling the charges and those against the charges have been levelled. We have nothing to say,” she said when asked whether the party endorsed the allegations levelled by Mr Digvijay Singh against Mr Hazare and his colleagues.
Ms Natarajan also found nothing wrong in Congress leaders reacting over the issue. “Every citizen has the right to express their views and opinion.”
When asked about Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Rita Bahuguna’s comment that persons
whose credentials are being doubted by people should themselves withdraw themselves from exercise like drafting of Lokpal bill, Ms Natarajan sought to distance from the remarks.
Meanwhile, Mr Digvijay Singh said that he was yet to receive any legal notice from Bhushan’s and “I would like to see or hear what I said that has offended them.”
In a releated development,Mr Digvijay Singh and Union minister Salman Khursheed on Wednesday shared the dais with the expelled Samajwadi party general secsretary Amar Singh at a public function at Farukhabad , triggering speculation of Mr Amar Singh inching closure to the Congress party.
According to an agency r eport,While Mr Digviyaj termed Amar as his “brother, friend and an associate”, the Lokmanch chief said despite being political opponent he learnt
a lot from the Congress leader.
“Today, some people are duping public with false claims. Now, I and Dijvijay have taken out sword against them,” Amar said at a college inauguration function yesterday.(Tuesday).
He also hailed Mr Khursheed saying he was a very “nice person”. Mr Khursheed too appeared soft on Mr Amar Singh . “I have no grudges with Amar. When he was in SP, I was opposed to the party,” he said.
Mr Anna Hazare will address a public meeting in Varanasi on April 29.