Anna Hazare’s call to voters in the byelections in Hissar, Haryana, to defeat the Congress has exposed Hazare as “nothing but a mask for the BJP”, according to Congress General Secretary in charge of Haryana, B K Hariprasad. “Infact”, Hariprasad said, Anna Hazare’s primary campaign against corruption is actually a sham is evident from the fact that those that he’s supporting by default ie the “other candidates are icons of corruption.” Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) candidate Ajay Singh Chautala has been chargesheeted by the CBI while Haryana Janhit Congress (HJC) Kuldeep Bishnoi is the son of former chief minister Bhajan Lal.
Speaking to Business Standard from Hissar, Hariprasad said, “By giving a call to defeat Congress in the by-elections, scheduled for October 13, Hazare is joining hands and supporting the icons of corruption in Haryana — both the INLD candidate and the BJP supported HJC candidate.”
The Congress candidate is three-time MP from Hissar, Jai Prakash.
Emphasising that Hazare stood exposed as being a front for the BJP and Sangh Parivar, the Congress General Secretary pointed out that Hazare and his team did not campaign in Karanataka when there was a by election there last month. “This shows his affiliation with the BJP. Obviously, he is not serious about corruption.”
According to Hariprasad, “If Anna wanted to fight corruption he should have fielded Arvind Kejriwal who hails from Hisar. But they choose not to do so and try to come to power by non-political means as a mask for others.”
Infact, the Congress in Haryana is unfazed by Anna’s negative campaign. Hariprasad, who is in Hisar, said Anna’s campaign had little impact on the ground. Anna had threatened to circulate videos appealing to the electorate not to vote for the Congress, as it had failed to support the Jan Lokpal bill.
What has further strengthened the Congress belief in Anna being a BJP stooge is the recent statement by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat that Sangh volunteers participated in Anna’s recent movement against corruption. Senior leaders in Haryana Congress said whatever Anna might do, the political fight here is basically on caste lines. While Bhajan Lal was the lone non- Jat leader in this mainly Jat bastion; in his absence the fight could be centre around the two other Jat candidates in the fray Chautala and Jai Prakash.
What can also play a crucial factor is the fact that former INLD candidate Sampat Singh is now a Congress MLA from Nalwa assembly constituency. So he is bound to impact the traditional INLD electorate. Bhajan Lal had defeated Sampath Singh in the 2009 Lok Sabha polls.
