Rather than join the battle against corruption in high places, the Congress-led Government is busy trying to tar the reputation of those leading the campaign. Having survived the scare, the Congress opened its bag of tricks, a few days hence. Anxious to get even with Mr Hazare and his fellow travellers, the party’s leaders picked on individual members of this group. A Commission of Inquiry report, which was gathering dust in Maharashtra, was pulled out to show that Mr Hazare was “tainted” — he had spent, without authorisation, a couple of lakhs of rupees on a birthday celebration.