Patna: The RSS on Sunday rapped Gandhian
leader Anna Hazare for his stoic silence in acknowledging the
fact that the Sangh workers had actively taken part in the
latter`s nationwide crusade against corruption last year.
"It is a fact that the Sangh workers in individual
capacity did play an active role in the anti-corruption
crusade by the civil society headed by Hazare...it baffles me
as to whay the former did not acknowledge the fact," RSS
chief Mohan Bhagwat told reporters.
Though the RSS had not directed its workers to join
the civil society`s crusade on corruption, a large number
of them did take an active part in the agitation throughout
the country on their own volition, he said.
However, it baffled him when the Gandhian leader did
not acknowledge the role of the Sangh workers in his
anti-corruption movement when the Congress attacked Hazare
for soliciting RSS support on corruption issue, Bhagwat said.
Bhagwat, however, clarified that the RSS was not part
of the civil society agitation on the corruption issue even as
it shared similar views and had adopted a resolution on the
issue in March last year.
The RSS leader said that corruption in the political
system could not be addressed merely by taking stringent
action against corrupt public service.
Other remedies like electoral reforms and making the system
a transparent and accountable should also be considered to
usher in good governance in the country.
Bhagwat clarified that it was not the RSS` decision
to make Nitin Gadkari the BJP national president but it had
merely played the role of a felicitator when senior BJP
leaders had met him to find a replacement for Rajnath Singh in
the post-parliamentary poll debacle of 2009.
"Some senior BJP leaders had called me to discuss the
future of the party leadership following debacle in 2009
parliamentary polls....the name of a number of leaders were
discussed for the BJP president`s post with Gadkari being
among the names," the RSS chief told reporters.
"It was the BJP leaders` call to select Gadkari as the
BJP president," he said adding the Sangh had merely played
the role of a facilitator.
PTI
