Anna to skip anti-Cong UP yatra, protest silently

New Delhi: The ongoing war of words between Team Anna and the Government may ironically fall silent, at least on Anna Hazare's part since he's threatened to take a vow of silence in protest. Anna has also said that he decided to postpone his anti-Congress yatra in Uttar Pradesh due to health reasons.

Hazare's vow to fast till Parliament assured to enact an effective Lokpal brought the Government to its knees. But now, Hazare has decided to impose an abstinence of an entirely different kind - he will not speak, he said, till such time deems it necessary to break his silence.

Hazare has also cancelled his proposed tour of poll-bound Uttar Pradesh and for once, the anti-corruption crusader, after a series of bitter missive exchanges with the Prime Minister, sees some merit in Manmohan Singh's recent note of caution on the RTI.

"I believe that the Government should be transparent, because transparency curbs corruption. But many have made business out of RTI, they misuse and blackmail others. Misuse of RTI must be stopped," said Hazare.

Hazare's decision comes in the midst of growing strain between his core team members. He himself has dissociated with Prashant Hhushan's remarks on Kashmir and the subesquent assault on him. Santosh Hegde has on record disapproved Arvind Kejriwal's anti-Congress stance in the Hisar by-polls.

On the other hand Congress General Secretary Digvijaya Singh accused Hazare of RSS links.

Hazare has since denied any links with the Sangh Parivaar, but the RSS top brass meeting during the two-day natioanl executive at Gorakhpur has made its displeasure apparent.

In a statement, RSS General Secretary Suresh "Bhaiyyaji" Joshi said, "It is tragic that a person of Anna's stature too has got influenced by narrow political conspiracy".

Earlier Hazare and his team members have planned to take the fight on the Lokpal Bill against the Congress to all poll-bound states including the crucial Uttar Pradesh if the Bill is not passed in the Winter Session of Parliament. The Congress may breathe a little easy now, but the jury is still out on whether Hazare has called for an amicable settlement or is it just a tactical retreat.

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