NEW DELHI: Congress on Tuesday came out with a low-key response to the fresh challenge from Anna Hazare, in a remarkable shift from the combative style it chose when the anti-corruption campaigner first upped his ante.
Even as the party, faced with Hazare's call to defeat Congress in the Hissar by-poll, asserted that it was scared of no one, it opted for a tone which seemed to signal a decision to shun confrontation with Hazare whose anti-graft movement has resonated with a chunk of the electorate.
The new approach of the party, which drew flak for its aggressive response to Hazare, was signalled by Congress general secretary Janardan Dwivedi. Cautioning that Hazare should not play into the hands of political players, Dwivedi said, "Anna has always maintained he has no political aspirations. We trust him and believe that he will not do anything that could be used by some other forces for political gains."
He went on to assure that Congress was committed to a strong Lokpal bill and urged Hazare to have faith in Parliament.
Congress spokesman Rashid Alvi regretted that Hazare was not ready to wait till the winter session of Parliament when it is to approve the Lokpal bill, saying the decision to take the field against Congress in Hissar pointed to a preconceived mind.
Although he asserted that Congress was not scared and stressed that its opponents in the Hissar arena included the BJP, Alvi desisted from accusing Hazare of being an RSS proxy: again a significant change of track.
Law minister Salman Khurshid spoke on similar lines, saying the BJP was against Congress and if Hazare too turned against the party, it would not matter much.
However, the apparent restraint could be misleading, considering the reasons why Hazare's decision may have turned the Hissar contest into more than a by-election to fill a vacancy in Lok Sabha. For one, it has brought forward the confrontation which many thought would have ensued after the Lokpal bill was drafted. It points to the realization among Hazare campaign that the draft ombudsman would fall far short of their expectation; possibly even that they miscalculated the government's intent when it got Hazare to call off his fast.
For another, while Hazare has not said whom he would campaign for, his "defeat Congress" call suggests that he is clear about his target.
Also, Hazare appears to have chosen his battleground shrewdly. The Hissar by-election was going to be a tight affair anyway. BJP has teamed up with the family of Bhajan Lal whose death has caused the vacancy. The partnership can lead to consolidation of non-Jat votes in favour of Bhajan Lal's son Kuldeep Bishnoi: a tactic that Bhajan Lal effectively used in the Jat-dominated politics of Haryana.
What toughens the task for Congress is the presence of Ajay Chautala, scion of the legendary Devi Lal and son of former chief minister Om Prakash Chautala. Last assembly polls demonstrated that the Chautalas have regained a significant part of their constituency among the Jats. A split in the votes of the dominant community can only work to Bishnoi's advantage.
A defeat for Congress in Haryana, if for mundane reasons of caste and community, will give Hazare an opening to proclaim victory for his campaign.
Importantly, by-elections in surcharged atmosphere have turned out to be trend-setters. Congress's defeat in the Jabalpur by-election in 1974, which was won by Sharad Yadav, aggravated the disadvantage it faced because of the agitation led by the late Jaiprakash Narain.
