New Delhi, Dec 25 (ANI): The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday hit out at the ruling Congress Party for alleging links between veteran social activist Anna Hazare and BJP ideologue Nanaji Deshmukh.
BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar said there were many photographs of Congress party leaders with Deshmukh, and added that the allegations made by the ruling party were baseless.
"There are photographs of Nanaji Deshmukh with Jai Prakash Narayan and the Congress party leaders. They should answer this. What is this? The Congress party has lost its composure and its patience. They have been unmasked publicly. That is why embattled Congress is speaking nonsense," he said.
Javadekar mentioned Nanaji had been a patriot and a social reformer having good relations with many political leaders.
"Nanaji was a great patriot and social reformer. He had good relations with leaders of all political parties," he added.
A Hindi daily published a photograph of Hazare with Deshmukh and claimed that the anti-corruption crusdaer had worked under the latter's leadership in 1983.
Citing the report, the Congress leaders Digvijay Singh and Rashid Alvi earlier in the day attacked Hazare for 'hiding' his association with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the forebear of the BJP.
Congress spokesperson Rashid Alvi said Hazare should clear the air over his alleged links with the Hindu radical outfit Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
"Annaji has the right to profess whatever ideology he wants. If he had been in the RSS, or had been a supporter of the RSS or if RSS supports him, then it is his own decision. But, I believe that the purity of thoughts is very important," said Alvi.
"One has to be very honest with the ideology he professes, so that the people of the country know what his thoughts and ideologies. Ideology should be hidden. Annaji should clarify if this news is true, whether he had links with the RSS," he added.
Hazare, who has termed the Lokpal Bill drafted by the government to be weak, will be sitting on a three-day token fast in Mumbai to mount pressure on the Centre to bring in a strong anti-graft legislation.
The government introduced the new version of the Lokpal bill in Lok Sabha on Thursday after a lengthy debate during which almost all parties opposed the introduction of the bill in its current form.
The Union Cabinet had earlier on Tuesday approved the Bill for creation of the Lokpal with Constitutional status.
The fresh Bill allows the Lokpal to oversee investigation of cases referred by it to the CBI. But, the Bill clearly mentions that CBI will continue to be under the government's administrative control. (ANI)
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