Team Anna tries to revive movement

But lack of clarity on whos in charge and dissension among many seniors remain

Aides and followers of Anna Hazare are trying to revive his once-massive anti-corruption movement, even as there is still a lack of clarity on who exactly is in charge and on how to heal the rifts within the leaders in what was once an umbrella coalition.

Hazare has begun by extending a hand to Swami Ramdev, whom he’s kept at a distance since last year, declining to share a stage with him. He has now said if Ramdev were to invite him, he would join the latter’s day-long fast on June 3, to mark the anniversary of the government attack on his fasting followers in Delhi. Ramdev is yet to extend an invitation.

Those around Hazare have also tried to shift attention from the Bill on the issue of a corruption ombudsman, the proposed Lok Pal, to those stopping its passage in Parliament. Its plan of targeting MPs and ministers has had some result, with the strong reactions from MPs. It is now focusing on developing cadres and its members are going to different centres to do so, said Kumar Viswas, a member of the core committee.

A camp was held in Delhi where 150 people came. These are people in the movement last year, members say. Now, some have gone to Himachal and other states for similar workshops to train cadres.

Plans are being sketched for a replay of last year’s movement, beginning with a national ‘awareness’ tour by Hazare in May, followed by a ‘jail bharo’ move in August or even earlier. As for the Lok Pal Bill, the movement thinks it’s a lost cause for now. “The government and the Opposition have both let us down,” says Vibhav Kumar a spokesperson of Hazare’s India Against Corruption. “Neither the government nor the Opposition want it. It is as good as lost.''

Meanwhile, the movement is being affected by a divide between those close to and faithful to Arvind Kejriwal and those who want the movement to be more than him and one or two others. The tendency of the movement to be seen as a one-man show or at the most a three- person show, barring Hazare, has irked many in the past, leading to quite a few prominent names withdrawing.

The movement says it has approached a number of public figures to publicly support the cause. But no one is willing to speak openly, say activists.

The movement's core committee, which was formed by individuals who were activists in their own right like Rajender Singh, Devinder Sharma, Medha Patkar and others, is also showing signs of coming apart. Patkar keeps a distance and Sharma has also not been too enthusiastic about it.

As for Ramdev, he’s said to be still nursing his grievances from being spurned by Anna and his team when he needed them most.

Says a core committee member, “Kejriwal runs the show; no one (else) has any say. Nor are the issues represented by others given any importance. It would naturally upset people.''

There was an indication that the movement had learnt its lessons and was trying to spread by associating itself with other causes, as its recent taking up of the land acquisition cases in Uttarakhand.

Vibhav Kumar brushes aside the image of an autocratic organisation. “We are not bothered about our image or if we appear to be centred on one person or two persons. Nothing but the goal matters,” he said.

Whether the goal would be better achieved by a small group or wider participation is a question on which there is quite some dissonance, it appears.