Changing his stance on the Congress again,social activist Anna Hazare today threatened to personally campaign against the party in the forthcoming Assembly elections in five states if the Jan Lokpal Bill was not passed in the winter session of Parliament. He said the intentions of the party,which leads the coalition government at the centre,with regard to creating a strong and effective Lokpal were doubtful. I had directed my team to steer clear of taking the name of any party in our campaign. Hisar was an exception,to show the Congress party that Team Anna can topple it. But at todays meeting I have told my team that I will personally campaign against the Congress if the Bill is not passed in the winter session. They (the government) cannot play with us anymore, Hazare said. I will sit on dharna in all the five states individually,and then address public meetings there,actively telling them to vote against the Congress, he said. Hazares group has lately been careful not to pitch its anti-corruption campaign against any specific political party,especially after its experiment in the recent by-elections in Hisar,which had led to internal upheaval and even prompted a couple of prominent members to leave the group,complaining of overt politicisation. But Hazare,who reached New Delhi this morning to appear before the Parliamentary Standing Committee debating the Lokpal Bill,today said it was time truth was said as it was. We will have to say who are the good people and who are not. Let the world think about us what it wants to, he told reporters. Hazare,however,stressed that the campaign against the Congress would not mean that his group would campaign for the BJP,notwithstanding the fact that the BJP government in Uttarakhand had taken a bold step by passing a Lokpal Bill that was very close in character to the Jan Lokpal bill. He said Uttarakhand Chief Minister B C Khanduri should be honoured. Khanduriji meri tarah ek sainik rah chuke hain. Unhone Jai Jawan wala kaam kar dikhaya hai. (Khanduri has been a soldier like me. He has shown the qualities of a soldier), he said,again hastening to add that his respect for Khanduri had nothing to do with the party he belonged to. Congress aur BJP mein kya fark hai? Ek graduate hai to doosra doctorate hai (There is no difference between the Congress and the BJP. One is more corrupt than the other), he joked. Hazare acknowledged that there were problems within his team and said there would be a complete overhaul in the coming days,with a new constitution put in place. But he stressed that none of his associates was corrupt and asked the government to institute inquiries into the conduct of his colleagues instead of hurling allegations against them. Aakhir jis ped me phal nikalte hain,unhi par log pathar marte hain (People throw stones at only trees which bear fruits), he said. Hazare claimed to be rejuvenated after his vow of silence,and said he was fit to fight again. My health had deteriorated after my hunger strike. But being silent for these days has helped my health,and now I can fight with renewed vigour.
