Even as the civil society and Congress ministers get ready to meet at the Lok Pal Bill drafting Committee on Wednesday, the slinging match between Hazare and Congress heightened, the Congress slammed the social activist as an “unelected dictator”.
The civil society had boycotted the last meeting protesting the police action against Ramdev. According to finance ministry officials, this time they have assured their attendance.
After taking on Ramdev, the Congress upped its ante on Monday against Anna Hazare, who had earlier forced the government to form a joint drafting committee on the Lok Pal bill and set a deadline of August 15 for passing the Bill in Parliament.
The Congress, clearly in a combative mood after the Ramdev episode, on Monday attacked Hazare and said Indian democracy faces danger from Hazare. "The greatest danger to the democracy is from the unelected dictator. If democracy faces its biggest peril, it is from the tyranny of the unelected and tyranny of the unelectible", party spokesman Manish Tewari said.
In Ahmedabad, Hazare alleged the government and the Congress were raking up these allegations to demoralise crusaders against corruption: “They are trying to demoralize and confuse agitators fighting against corruption and this proves insensitivity of government."
Ahead of the next round of the Lok Pal meeting, Hazare on Monday said, "No one can stop the emerging social and political change in India. Now people have realised they have to become agents of change and must not rely only on leaders and political parties."
The Congress too, lashed out at Hazare who recently, in his letter to Congress president Sonia Gandhi, had termed UPA ministers liars and frauds. Alleging “violence in language” of the Hazare camp, Tiwari said, "I think a constructive discourse entails restraint on either side. It cannot be a one-way street. You cannot call the government a bunch of frauds and cheats. You are talking to a soverign government representing 1.2 billion people."
"Today, 78 per cent of the gross domestic product does not come from the government sector and we are for a regulatory mechanism for the next two decades. It should have an overarching design of the Lokpal, Judges accounability bill, paid news, private treaties and cross holdings in the media, money brought to the political process", Tiwari pointed out.
