Ralegan Siddhi:
Anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare has sent a length letter to Congress leader Digvijaya Singh. In his seven-page note, written in Hindi, Anna responds to the charges Mr Singh leveled against him in an open letter sent to the Gandhian earlier this week. Mr Hazare refutes charges that the right-wing RSS has backed his movement against corruption, and says that the BJP and the Congress are both weak -they are not committed to tackling graft.
Here are some translated excerpts from Anna's letter:
If you had followed up on issues like water harvesting, development of rural areas carefully, you would not have been voted out. Even now, as General Secretary, you have considerable authority in your party. But the Congress has not shown real commitment to developing villages.
In 64 years of Independence, we have created many Ralegan Siddhis in Maharashtra. How many villages has your party developed where people work with the government for improvement? The gram vikas that I am keen on - your schemes are hit by corruption. For every Rs 10 of the scheme, not even one rupee reaches the village. Have you been able to create villages where people are able to farm, where they can make a living? Where they don't have to move to cities in search of jobs?
In 64 years of Independence, your party has been ineffective in combating corruption.
In your letter to me, you say your party introduced the Right to Information Act. Perhaps you have forgotten or are deliberately overlooking the fact that in Maharashtra, this movement began in 1995. We fought for the Right to Information I held a 12-day fast which led to the introduction of the Act in Maharashtra in 2002. The Act was introduced in the rest of the country in 2005 - why the delay?
You have written to me that I should distinguish between the Congress and other parties on the issue of corruption. The only difference I see is degrees of corruption - some parties have graduated in corruption, others have done Doctorates. This is what the people and I see.
So many ministers from your government are in jail. Why were they not stopped when they were in power? Were you not aware of their corruption? But your government and politicians have become used to power and corruption going together. And if your party was so committed to fighting corruption, why did it not ensure that the Lokpal Bill was passed? It has been introduced six times in parliament. It is clear your party is not serious about ending graft.
There is not much difference between the BJP and the Congress. LK Advani has begun a rath yatra against corruption. Instead, both the BJP and the congress should insist on introducing strong Lokpal Bills in the states governed by them.
You have accused me of affiliation to the RSS. I am a God-fearing man, and as God is my witness, I can testify that no member of the RSS met me during my 12-day fast at Delhi's Ramlila Maidan.
If Mohan Bhagawat of the RSS has said that he partnered with me or the Lokpal movement, he is trying to defame me just as the Congress is trying to malign me. Or perhaps both parties are jointly trying to discredit me.