Ahead of Anna Hazare's three-day fast in Mumbai, Congress and Team Anna were on Sunda locked in a confrontation with the Gandhian being dubbed as an "RSS agent" and an "Army deserter".
Digvijay Singh, Congress' general secretary, also renewed his attack on the 74-year-old Gandhian, alleging he had links with the RSS.
Singh, a strident critic of Hazare, referred to a picture published in a Hindi daily purportedly showing the activist with RSS leader Nanaji Deshmukh to back his remarks and took note of the denial that he was not linked to the Sangh.
Singh's party colleague and union minister Beni Prasad Verma joined the tirade against Hazare, saying he was a "RSS agent" and an "Army deserter". Congress spokesperson Rashid Alvi said Hazare should come clean on his alleged RSS links.
"Anna Hazare worked as secretary with RSS leader Nanaji Deshmukh and trained in 1983 in Gonda. See Nai Duniya front page today," Singh on Sunday wrote on his twitter page.
"And he denied any association with RSS! Now whom do we believe facts with picture and the claim of RSS or Anna? I am again proved right," he wrote on the social networking site.
In an apparent tit for tat response, Team Anna member Kiran Bedi tweeted a picture of Digvijay Singh sharing a dais with Deshmukh and questioned his RSS links.
"Does sharing of the dais make one each other's agent. Next time should one sit alone? When two persons share a dais do they become each others agents?" she asked.
While reacting to the fresh allegations by Congress, another key Team Anna member Arvind Kejriwal said Hazare is "an agent" of the country.
"Anna is an agent of our country, when they (Beni Prasad Verma) don't have anything to say they say these things."
"Why do they not pass Jan Lokpal bill? Why do they want to keep CBI in their hands? They are trying to ruin Anna's identity by saying these things," he added.
Hazare is due to hold his three-day fast at the MMRDA Ground in Mumbai against a 'weak' Lok Pal bill from December 27.
"Congress should not make baseless allegations to divert people's attention but bring a strong Lokpal Bill. The way they are after Anna and the agitation, it's not good," Kejriwal said.
Another Team Anna member Kumar Vishwas said, "It's (Beni's remark) an insult to the Armed forces. The Army praised Anna. People are watching, they will react with anger in the polls."
RSS rejected the claim that Hazare was an aide of Deshmukh. saying that by merely meeting someone the Gandhian doesn't become an aide of that person.
RSS spokesperson Ram Madhav said that even Mahatma Gandhi had participated in a programme of the Sangh.
Targeting Hazare, Beni Prasad Verma, a prominent Congress leader from UP said, "Anna Hazare is an Army deserter since 1965 war between India and Pakistan. He campaigned against Sharad Pawar in local body elections but Sharad Pawar emerged as winner."
"He only creates drama games in Delhi. He has got no identity in Indian politics. Anna is RSS's agent," Verma told a TV channel.
Hazare also faced criticism from Congress's new ally Rashtriya Lok Dal(RLD) which alleged that he has a political agenda.
"Now he has become political. When his agitation was non-political he had a lot of supporters but now that he has entered politics he'll get to know what happens."
Congress' Rashid Alvi said, "Annaji has the right to follow any ideology, if he is with RSS, or support RSS, or RSS is his supporter, it is his own decision. But I believe, purity of thoughts is very important. What ideology you believe in, you need to be honest."
BJP also waded into the Team Anna-Congress row on Hazare's alleged RSS links and his past in the Army, saying Congress has gone "crazy."
"Congress has gone crazy, their leaders should be controlled, they have no control on their tongue," BJP spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain said.
Hussain's party colleage Prakash Javadekar said Congress is asking questions which need not be anwsered.
"Nanaji was a great patriot and activist. All parties had good relatiaons with him... Who made this allegation? Digvijay Singh? Then he also has many pictures with Nanaji, he said.
Meanwhile in Kanpur, union coal minister Sriprakash Jaiswal came out in support of his colleague Beni Prasad Verma for his comments against Anna Hazare, saying there was nothing unparliamentary in calling Hazare an "Army deserter".
Verma had attacked the Gandhian leader saying he was a "RSS agent" and an "Army deserter".
