Needless fight

The rift between Gandhian Anna Hazare and Aam Admi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal has widened since the India Against Corruption movement has weakened.

When the agitation for a Jan Lokpal, which once caught the nation’s attention,  lost its  momentum, Kejriwal took the political plunge and formed his party. Anna Hazare did not approve of this and distanced himself from the  party.  The AAP, which is only a few months old, seems to have made an impression in Delhi and may turn out to be an important factor in the coming Assembly elections. This has naturally made the party a target of criticism and allegations. The Congress and the BJP, which stand to lose what the AAP gains, have reasons to attack the party. But Anna’s charges are difficult to comprehend and have not helped enhance his image.

Anna has charged that the AAP misused his name in the election campaign and has raised questions about the use of funds which were collected during the agitation. Both charges do not seem to be based on  convincing grounds. The AAP is, in a sense,  a political product of the agitation led  by Anna Hazare. But it has not  claimed the legacy of the Hazare-led movement and mentioned his name in the election campaign. In popular perception, the AAP may be linked to the anti-corruption movement but this cannot be considered as the party exploiting Anna’s name. The AAP has also made public all the contributions it has received. It has offered to subject its claims to an enquiry by independent and credible person.  Anna  Hazare also ridiculed some promises made by the AAP, like its promise to set up a Lokpal in Delhi, claiming that it by can be done only by Parliament. This is strange because he had himself demanded Lokpals in states.

The latest statement is that he would support Kejriwal in the election  if the AAP is dissolved.  The confusing and sometimes contradictory statements  have affected his credibility.

Anna Hazare seems to have been misled or wrongly influenced on the issues he has chosen to raise against the Aam Admi Party.  More than the AAP using his name, the situation seems to be a case of others using his name to criticise the party. In any case, now that the party is in the area of competitive politics it should be ready for intense scrutiny by its rivals and the public.