Anna Hazare begins his 'maun vrat'

MUMBAI | NEW DELHI: Anti-graft crusade Anna Hazare began his week-long 'maun vrat' (vow of silence) on Sunday at his native village of Ralegan Siddhi.

"Anna began his maun vrat this morning. He is sitting under a banyan tree near the Padmavati temple here," said a Hazare aide.

In a TV interview ahead of his 'maun vrat', Hazare softened his aggressive stance against the Centre and said that he was encouraged by the Prime Minister's latest letter to him promising his resolve for a strong Lokpal. "If the government brings a strong Lokpal and keeps its other promises, why should I oppose the Congress. In fact we will work with Congress," he said. Seeking to dispel the notion that Team Anna was anti-Congress, he denied that Team Anna campaigned against Congress in Hisar at the behest of BJP and RSS.

"I have only seen him (RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat) on TV, I have never met him or spoken to him. These are all allegations. In politics, political parties are ready to do anything. Congress, BJP and RSS are together conspiring to defame Anna. I have nothing to do with RSS or BJP," Hazare had said.

On Saturday, Anna had said that he will work with Congress across the country if the UPA government brings a strong Lokpal Bill in the Winter session of Parliament and keeps its words on other reforms.

But he had also sent out a warning to Congress that if the Lokpal Bill was not passed in the winter session, he will work against Congress in the coming assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh and four other states.

Meanwhile, RSS continued to insist that it was very much part of his movement against corruption and said that Anna's comments that there was no support from the Sangh to his Jan Lokpal campaign was beyond its comprehension. "Anna had made some comments on the RSS chief and also indicated that he viewed the letter written by me in support of his movement as a conspiracy. These views, which were published widely in the media, go beyond my comprehension and cause immense pain to me.

It is tragic that a person of Anna's stature too has got influenced by narrow political conspiracy," RSS General Secretary Suresh Bhaiyyaji Joshi had said in a statement. He was referring to a letter written by Hazare in reply to Congress general secretary Digvijaya Singh.

"The views expressed in his letter would prove detrimental to the anti-corruption movement only. It will be most unfortunate," Joshi had said.