Anna Hazare might be threatening to pull down the government over Lok Pal Bill, but the ruling Congress sure knows how tackle the threat. The Centre’s crisis managers have launched a campaign against Anna through dalit outfits who have been suspicious of the neo-Gandhian’s philosophy from the outset.
Anna’s Gandhian, pro-Hindu past and practices have not gone well with many dalit sections. Congress has been making effective use of this perception. Besides, Anna’s alleged proximity to Sangh Parivar has also not gone down well with dalit activists.
Anna’s support from the anti-reservation groups has also not gone unnoticed by Congress spin doctors.
All these factors have helped Congress to mobilize dalit groups to rally against Anna Hazare’s threat to the government. A dalit outfit Dalit Panthers in Maharashtra, the native state of Hazare, has already issued a statement that it will launch an awareness campaign against Anna’s demand.
In AP, dalit intellectual Kancha Ilaih has been a vocal critic of Anna Hazare, who he dubs as anti-dalit and pro-RSS. Dalits are a strong constituency for Congress, and they see Anna as representing anti-Congress forces.
