Hazare tactics threaten democracy: Rahul Gandhi

In a combative address to Indias parliament, Congress party leader Gandhi -- the scion of Indias Nehru-Gandhi political dynasty -- praised activist Anna Hazares anti-corruption message but challenged his efforts to bend parliament to his will.Individuals have brought our country great gains. They have galvanised people in the cause for freedom... however we must not weaken the democratic process, Gandhi said.A process divorced from the machinery of an elected government, that seeks to undo checks and balances created to protect the supremacy of parliament, sets a dangerous precedent for our democracy.It was Gandhis first public statement on an issue that has snowballed into a full-blown crisis for the government, with huge protests across India in support of Hazares campaign.The 74-year-old Hazare has said he will fast until parliament adopts and passes his own version of a new anti-corruption bill that would create the post of a national ombudsman to monitor senior politicians and bureaucrats.In his speech, Gandhi, 41, suggested that allowing any campaign -- no matter how popular its target -- to dictate legislation to parliament would set the country on a slippery path.Tomorrow the target may be something less universally heralded. It may attack the plurality of our society and democracy, he said.Indias biggest achievement is our democratic system. It is the life force of our nation, he added.The timing and tone of Gandhis intervention was significant.In recent days, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who sat beside Gandhi as he spoke, has sought to reach out to Hazare with a series of conciliatory gestures aimed at bringing the hunger strike to an end.A deal seemed to be at hand when Singh secured parliaments agreement to open a debate Friday on the activists demands.However, the move hit an immediate obstacle when Hazare refused to give a written undertaking that he would end his fast -- now in its 11th day -- as soon as the debate began.Hazares campaign leaders said he would only call off his protest when parliament adopted -- rather than merely discussed -- a resolution containing his core proposals for the Lokpal (Ombudsman) Bill.Hazare, who has only drunk water since August 16, has lost around 6.5 kilos (14 pounds).Although he has appeared energetic and alert when addressing supporters, doctors say they are concerned over his blood pressure and weight loss.Gandhi sits on a panel running the ruling Congress Partys daily affairs in the absence of his mother and party president,Sonia Gandhi, who has had surgery in the United States for an unspecified medical condition.His nomination to the panel was seen as another step towards his eventual assumption of the premiership and Fridays speech was an opportunity to lay out his leadership credentials.But some observers said his remarks could backfire.The government and the party are confused -- playing hard and soft on Hazare, said political analyst Parsa Venkateshwar Rao.And Rahuls speech isnt going to bring them any brownie points at a time when the tide of public sympathy is with Hazare, Rao said.