09. Controversies and criticism of Civil Society

Alleged link with Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh

Hazare has been criticised for being an agent of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh(RSS) a right-wing Hindu body.[143] According to Digvijay Singh a senior leader of the Indian National Congress, the entire crusade of 2011 Indian anti-corruption movement was planned by RSS in which Plan-A was Baba Ramdev while Plan-B was Anna Hazare. Their basic job was to disturb national security.[144] Further Singh had charged Hazare for having links with late RSS leader Nanaji Deshmukh[145] with whom he worked as a secretary.[146] *Hazare denied any such associations.

Acting as proxy for political parties

India's Open Magazine editorialized that it was "Nonsense" to say Hazare's anti-corruption movement of 2011-12 was apolitical.[147] The oped went on to say that the purpose of the movement was that so long as the Congress Party was kept out of power corrupt politicians of any other party could be elected to Parliament. The example of Ajay Chautala (now convicted for corruption) was cited as "In effect, Anna and his team are campaigning for Ajay Chautala effectively the first candidate put up for election by the India Against Corruption movement".

Views on Narendra Modi and Nitish Kumar

In a press conference in April 2011, Hazare praised Narendra Modi, the chief minister of Gujarat and Nitish Kumar, chief minister of Bihar for their efforts on rural development, saying that other chief ministers should emulate them.[148]Subsequently, Modi wrote an open letter to him, hailing him as a Gandhian anti-corruption activist[149] while Digvijay Singh criticised him for his comment.[150] In May 2011, during his visit to Gujarat, Hazare changed his view and criticised Modi for rampant corruption. He urged Modi to appoint a Lokayukta. He also commented that the media had projected an incorrect image of Vibrant Gujarat.[151] Subsequently, Hazare declared that Modi is not a suitable candidate for the position of Prime Minister for not doing enough to curb corruption and his unwillingness to set up a Lokayukta in Gujarat.[152][153] He has even questioned his secular credentials.[154]

Accusations of corruption

The government of the state of Maharashtra instituted a Commission of Inquiry under Justice PB Sawant in September 2003 to enquire into allegations of corruption against several people, including four ministers in the state as well as the "Hind Swaraj Trust" headed by Hazare. The Commission submitted its report on 22 February 2005, indicting the Trust for corruptly spending Rs. 220,000 on Hazare's birthday celebrations.[155]

Two days ahead of Hazare's Lokpal fast, the Indian National Congress, attacked him, alleging that "the moral core of Hazare has been ripped apart" by the Justice P B Sawant Commission.[156]

Hazare's lawyer Milind Pawar responded that the commission had remarked about "irregularities" in the accounts, but had not held him guilty of any "corrupt" practices. Pawar said that on 16 June 1998, a celebration was organised to congratulate Hazare on winning an award from a US–based NGO and it coincided with his 61st birthday. The trust spent Rs 218,000 for the function. Abhay Phirodia, a Pune-based industrialist, who took the initiative to organise this function donated an amount of Rs 248,950 to the trust by cheque soon afterwards.[157] Hazare dared the government to file a First Information Report (FIR) against him to prove the charges.[158]

Accusation of being anti-democratic and anti-Dalit

An article written in Kolkata Telegraph by Ramchandra Guha stated that that environmental journalist Mukul Sharma claimed that Hazare forced the Dalit families in Ralegan Siddhi to adopt a vegetarian diet, and that those who violated the decree were tied to a post and flogged.[159] Mukul Sharma also found that no panchayat elections have been held in the village for the past two decades, and that no campaigning was allowed during state and national elections, upon Hazare's instructions.[159]

Dalit columnist Chandrabhan Prasad opined that Hazare's anti-corruption movement rejected representative democracy and alleged that it was an upper-caste uprising. He also claimed that centralising powers in Lokapal, which was a non-elected entity, was anti-democratic.[citation needed]

Dalit activist Kancha Ilaiah commented in a similar fashion, that "The Anna movement is an anti-social justice, manuvadi movement. The Dalits, tribals, OBCs and minorities have nothing to do with it. We oppose it."[160] Activist Anoop Kheri claimed that "The language, symbols used by the movement clearly reflects its upper caste Hindu nature, a very rightwing Hindu patriotism is being used to get the entire country against corruption. And as a dalit, I have a problem with it."[160]

There was also an allegation that an RTI activist was denied permission to protest by having a fast-unto-death at Ralegan Siddhi, the grama sabha stating that the reason was that only Hazare can hold such fasts in his village.[161]

Activist Udit Raj was denied permission to protest against Hazare, whom he claimed was against parliamentary processes.[citation needed] Raj warned that succumbing to Hazare's demands would set a dangerous trend rendering the "backward" classes more vulnerable. He claimed that mass mobilisations coerced the government into a "set of solutions" against constitutional processes could be used against affirmative action and threatened democracy.[162]

Later, it came to light that poor dalits had been paid up to ₹200 each to shout slogans against Hazare, although the organizers denied it. Some protesters said that they had been told that it was a pro-Anna protest, but felt cheated after realising that it was against Hazare.[163]

Accusation of being anti-Muslim

On 22 August 2011 writer-actor Arundhati Roy accused Hazare in a newspaper article of being nonsecular. She questioned his secular credentials, pointing out his "support for Raj Thackeray's Marathi Manoos xenophobia and [has praised] the 'development model' of Gujarat's CM who oversaw the 2002 pogrom againstMuslims". The website of the newspaper published many responses to her article and these were mostly critical of her views.[164] Activist Medha Patkar criticised Roy, saying that her views were misplaced.[165]

Hazare in the past stood in firm opposition to the Shiv Sena and BJP governments in Maharashtra. Activist and writer Asghar Ali Engineer in an EPW article onCommunalism and Communal Violence reported,[166]

The Shiv Sena is also facing serious problems from the social activist Anna Hazare who has accused its ministers of corruption and demanded their resignation. The SS-BJP government is facing serious corruption charges and is greatly worried. The Anna Hazare movement began in late November when he went on fast against the corrupt practices of the Shiv Sena ministers. The BJP initially supported the Hazare movement and now its deputy chief minister Gopinath Munde is also under a cloud. Initially the Hazare movement had created a rift between the Shiv Sena and the BJP but with Gopinath Munde himself under a cloud, both may close ranks. The Hazare movement has certainly posed a great challenge for the saffron government at the end of 1996.

Hazare was accused of working for RSS and BJP's behest, and against Muslims by cleric Bukhari of the Jama Masjid. Bhukhari was subsequently criticised for being a Royal Imam and for claiming that his personal views represented the view of ordinary Muslims.[167]

Conspiracy to murder Hazare

Hazare exposed corruption in cooperative sugar factories in Maharashtra, including one controlled by Dr.Padamsinh Bajirao Patil, a member of Parliament of 15th Lok Sabha and higher-ranking Leader of Nationalist Congress Party from Osmanabad. Patil was accused in the 2006 murder case of Congress leader Pawanraje Nimabalkar.[168][169]

The conspiracy to kill Hazare was exposed when Parasmal Jain, an accused in the Nimbalkar murder case, in his written confession before a magistrate said that Patil had paid him ₹3000000 (US$44,580) to murder Nimbalkar, and also offered him supari (contract killing sum) to kill Anna Hazare.[170][171] After this written confession, Hazare appealed to the state government of Maharashtra to lodge a separate First Information Report ( FIR ) against Patil but the government declined. On 26 September 2009 Hazare lodged his own complaint at Parner police station ofAhmednagar District in Maharashtra against Patil.[172] Patil approached the High Court seeking anticipatory bail but on 14 October 2009, the Aurangabad bench ofBombay High Court rejected his application, observing that there was prima facie case against him.[173][174] Padmasinh Patil appealed to the Supreme Court of Indialosing again, on 6 November 2009.[175] On 11 November 2009 Patil surrendered before the sessions court in Latur and was sent to judicial remand for 14 days.[176]On 16 December 2009 the Aurangabad bench granted bail.[177] As of 16 August 2011, the verdict is pending.

As of December 2011, Hazare received Z+ security.[178]