New delhi,August 21: DEEP FISSURES have emerged between the government and the Congress party over the “ inept” handling of the Anna Hazare issue.
Those belonging to the Rahul Gandhi camp have been quite vocal, of late, in their criticism of the failure of the partyled government to control the situation and letting it escalate out of control.
Party leaders are especially angry at the way the Gandhian social activist was arrested and which, in fact, led to the groundswell of support in his favour.
Gandhi himself was reportedly unhappy with the decision to arrest Anna and the vitriolic personal attack on the social activist by the party. Party sources said that Rahul intervened to ensure the early release of Hazare from jail.
And the voices of opposition are not just limited to the party. Even some cabinet ministers have expressed their displeasure over the way the situation was handled though nobody was willing to go on record. A cabinet minister, requesting anonymity, said he felt “ miserable”. From the party’s side the first salvo was fired by Sandeep Dikshit, east Delhi MP and son of Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit. In the company of minister of state for home Jitendra Singh, a close confidant of Rahul, Dikshit said it was a “ mistake” to arrest Anna Hazare. He, however, hastened to add that these are his personal views.
Speaking at a function organised to mark the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, Dikshit said: “ The government might have erred in gauging the mood of the people. However, it is important how all this ends than what happened earlier.” Earlier, speaking to a private television channel he said the anti- corruption crusader should guide the government to break the Lokpal impasse.
“ It was a mistake to arrest Anna Hazare.
The government has realised that it’s a mistake and rectified it. I would want that the way he ( Anna) has supported the public, he should also guide the government and help break this impasse,” Dikshit said.
Whitewashing the party’s earlier attack on Anna, minister of state for parliamentary affairs Harish Rawat called Hazare a “ hero of heroes”. “ Any person who is a social activist and is fighting for the cause of the people is a hero. He should channelise it properly,” Rawat said.
It was Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan who stopped a nervous government from committing the blunder of bundling off Hazare to his native village in Maharashtra, much like what was done with Baba Ramdev.
Rawat, in the meanwhile, described as constitutionally untenable the demand by Hazare that the Jan Lokpal Bill should be tabled in Parliament before September 2, when his 15- day fast is supposed to end.
Sources said Hazare can approach the parliamentary standing committee to put forward their suggestions and amendments. Another way, according to law minister Salman Khurshid, is by moving a private members Bill.