Arvind Kejriwal, Right to Information Act activist and an important member of Anna Hazare’s team, has come out against the Congress and the party’s top leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi by asking them to disclose their election expenses. Kejriwal made a pointed reference to Rahul’s intensive use of helicopters in the just-ended election campaign in Uttar Pradesh. He asked Congress General Secretary Digvijay Singh to make these election expenses public, adding that it was now the turn of the Congress to do so after Team Anna had made public its accounts within 24 hours of being asked.
Team Anna’s bête noire and senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh disdainfully brushed aside Kejriwal’s remark, saying they would“declare the expenses to the Election Commission and not to Arvind Kejriwal.”
Later in the day, the Congress party launched a frontal attack on Team Anna and advised Hazare to watch his blood pressure after the results of five state assembly elections are announced Tuesday.
“Anna should better take care of himself and of his blood pressure,” party spokesperson Renuka Chowdhary said, answering reporters’ questions.
On the question of Kejriwal asking for details of the expenses incurred at the polls by the Congress party, she said: “Kejriwal has no moral right to ask for such details since he had no time even to cast his vote which shows that he does not have any respect for the democracy. Kejriwal should not teach others before learning.”
The saber-rattling between the two camps shows how crucial the March 6 election results are going to be for the Indian polity. Whoever wins, the war of words between the UPA and Team Anna is set to intensify, especially given the fact that Hazare has vowed to start his next round of protest fasts from August 16.
The next few weeks, which include the budget session of parliament, are looking like they are going to be extremely testy among all involved.