Thaindian News

New Delhi, Apr 21 (ANI): A day after Congress President Sonia Gandhi wrote back to him saying that she did not support or encourage the politics of “smear campaigns”, veteran social activist Anna Hazare on Thursday thanked her for the response, saying that he is pleased that she doesn’t endorse such means.

“Sonia Gandhi has written to me. I was happy to read her letter. She has written in her letter that she never supported nor will support those who are attacking Anna Hazare,” he said.

Gandhi on Wednesday assured the anti-corruption crusader that she does not support or encourage the politics of smear campaign.

“I do not support or encourage politics of smear campaign. You should have no doubt of my commitment in the fight for probity in public life. I strongly support the institution of a Lokpal that is consistent with the practices and conventions of our Parliamentary democracy,” said Gandhi in her letter to Hazare.

Hazare had written a letter to her on Monday drawing her attention to the ongoing campaign being led by party leaders against civil society members of the Lokpal Bill Joint Drafting Committee, and asked her to advise her ‘colleagues’ not to try to derail the process of drafting of law.

Hazare in his letter said: “Developments in the last two days is a cause of concern. It seems that corrupt persons of the country have united to derail the process of drafting the bill. One of the general secretaries of Congress has been making statements, and I assume he has the support of the party to make these comments. Most comments are factually wrong. Do you approve of these statements?”

“After the joint-committee meet, one of the ministers said the meeting was good and then, he falsely accused us of succumbing to government pressure at an ‘informal debriefing session’. This is all false, as there was no such discussion within the committee. It appears that debriefing was meant to send a message to the public that we have been influenced,” he added, while dismissing allegation of the civil society members being influenced.

The veteran social activist reacted after Congress General Secretary Digvijay Singh questioned the huge funding for Hazare’s four-day long hunger strike, and asked if politicians should be termed uncivilized and not be seen as members of civil society. (ANI)