Pune: Social activist Anna Hazare rattled the whole nation with the India Against Corruption protest in 2011. The protest took place at New Delhi's Jantar Mantar. However, recently, RTI activist and AAP leader Vijay Kumbhar revealed that Anna Hazare wanted the protest to be in Alandi in the Pune district and was reluctant to go to Delhi. Former Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal was one of the people who encouraged Anna Hazare to hold the protest in Delhi.
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Senior activist Anna Hazare’s most famous protest was the 2011 Indian anti-corruption movement, widely known as the “Anna Andolan”. Hazare led a nationwide series of hunger strikes and peaceful demonstrations. The protest was aimed at pressuring the then-ruling government to enact the Jan Lokpal Bill. The Jan Lokpal Bill was an anti-corruption law that would create an independent ombudsman (investigating officer) to investigate corruption in public offices.
Speaking about the protest, Kumbhar, speaking on the Bindaas Bol podcast, made some lesser-known revelations about the protest. He said, “In 2011, Anna Hazare wanted to take the protest near Alandi. But Arvind Kejriwal and I spoke to him about taking it to Delhi. We had to explain to him the potential of holding the protest in Delhi. Anna didn’t want to come to Delhi, but we made him understand. We have spoken about many issues with Anna Hazare.”
Kumbhar is currently associated with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), serving as its state vice president. AAP and Hazare have an old relationship. In Anna Hazare’s 2011 protest, former CM and AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal played a major role, as he was managing all the logistics needed for the protest. Many critics of Kejriwal have argued that he became CM of Delhi due to the popularity he gained during Anna Hazare’s 2011 protest.
Anna Hazare has later criticised Kejriwal on a few occasions as well. He distanced himself from AAP and Kejriwal. Anna Hazare has particularly been vocal about Kejriwal’s liquor policy in his government. “As Chief Minister, Kejriwal should have set an example before society but went astray... he slowly started opening liquor vends and issuing licences. Then I got upset,” Hazare told the media once.
Speaking to Bindaas Bol, when the host asked if Anna disliked Kejriwal becoming CM or not, Kumbhar replied, “I don’t know whether he liked Kejriwal becoming CM or not. Anna Hazare and Arvind Kejriwal’s target was the same at that time. Kejriwal’s target is the same today, too. I used to tell Anna, ‘Don’t criticise him. If you don’t want to go together with him, fine. But he criticised Kejriwal without taking any information about his policies. I didn’t like that role of Hazare, and since then, I started writing and speaking against him. Just because you don’t like the way doesn’t mean you should call others bad.’”
Speaking on Anna Hazare’s current status, Kumbhar said, “Anna gradually quits the protests and hunger strikes. I say to Anna, if one cannot do anything, at least don’t oppose. When big things are happening, either speak fully or don’t speak at all. Don’t speak according to your convenience. If you think the new generation must come forward, then you should be quiet. What should the new generation do about new laws, issues like Manipur, or education — Anna should guide them. It’s easy to tell the new generation to come forward, but if they do something wrong, will you support it? You should guide them too. I tell this to everyone, not only Anna.”
