New Delhi: He's been a hero to many, but Anna Hazare has had to counter a fair share of criticism too. Here's some more, from Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, who says the Gandhian activist has become rigid of late. And political.
Mr Chavan's party, the Congress, is under huge pressure from Anna Hazare and his team to pass the Lokpal Bill in Parliament in the ongoing Winter Session. Mr Hazare has not only said that he will begin another mass agitation after the session ends if the Bill is not passed, he has also made it clear that he expects key provisions in that Bill to be defined as he has sought. Back in Maharashtra, Mr Chavan himself has been challenged by Anna to bring in an anti-corruption law that mirrors one in BJP-led Uttarakhand.
Not likely, says the Maharashtra CM, who has negotiated with Anna Hazare earlier and says the activist was more flexible then. "He has always been very conciliatory, very understanding discussing negotiations...What is happening now, he has been advised by various forces to be very rigid, he wasn't rigid at all."
Mr Chavan, appearing on the show The Buck Stops Here, also insists that Mr Hazare has become political now. "Also political. I made a very strong comment when one of a very close supporter of Anna Hazare participated in Hisar elections, broke all the promises." He insists the role that Team Anna played in the Hisar bye-elections, where they asked voters to vote against the Congress earlier this year was tantamount to "participation". He says, "He did not contest the elections, but he said that get this party elected, so it was an active participation in elections. When you have given a deadline to Central government and the Central government has accepted that, I think that should have been honoured, because that time another election was going on right in Maharashtra. They didn't take part there. It was an opportunistic decision, because they knew that Congress is not likely to win, and they jumped in, just to show that Anna Hazare can make a difference in the elections."
The CM prefaces all his criticism with praise for the anti-corruption activist. He readily credits Anna Hazare with having got important laws passed in the state. "I must credit him by giving him the credit for some laws we have passed. For example, the RTI was passed in Maharashtra three years back. It was taken in Delhi, Anna Hazare contributed to that. Against transfer of government officials, where we can't transfer an official and transfer happens in month of April and May, he has contributed to that."
Here is a transcript of Mr Chavan's comments on Anna Hazare:
Barkha: Do you think that Anna Hazare would be a factor for you in these elections, because he has been agitating against you from time to time?
Chavan: We have a long history of working with Anna Hazare and I must credit him by giving him the credit for some laws we have passed. For example, the RTI was passed in Maharashtra three years back. It was taken in Delhi, Anna Hazare contributed to that. Against transfer of government officials, where we can't transfer an official and transfer happens in month of April and May, he has contributed to that. But he has always been very conciliatory, very understanding discussing negotiations.
Barkha: That may not be the Centre's perception of him?
Chavan: That is not. What is happening now, he has been advised by various forces to be very rigid, he wasn't rigid at all. I have also dealt with him earlier, on fast that we carried out for him for file RTI notings. The Central government ultimately accepted his position and he broke the fast. So I think we have had working relationships.
Barkha: So you think that he was not rigid earlier, but now he has become?
Chavan: Also political. I made a very strong comment when one of a very close supporter of Anna Hazare participated in Hisar elections, broke all the promises.
Barkha: Not participated, but asked for a boycott of Congress
Chavan: No participated. He did not contest the elections, but he said that get this party elected, so it was an active participation in elections. When you have given a deadline to Central government and the Central government has accepted that, I think that should have been honoured, because that time another election was going on right in Maharashtra. They didn't take part there. It was an opportunistic decision, because they knew that Congress in not likely to win, and they jumped in, just to show that Anna Hazare can make a difference in the elections. I don't think that he is going to make any difference. The points that he has raised are very valid.
Barkha: Have you opened any dialogue with him in the last few months?
Chavan: I am in touch with him.
Barkha: Do you talk, do you meet?
Chavan: Not specially. I met him twice officially in a delegation mode, and he had raised some issues, and we are considering that. He has been keeping writing to me, many letters, particularly about Lokayukta, and we are seriously considering them.
Barkha: They have asked you to follow the Uttarakhand model?
Chavan: No I have told him, very clearly, that we will go by Central government's model law, or if the Central government embeds the overall Lokayukta with the overall Lokpal legislation, that will be the best. That's what I have advised Abhishek Manu Singhvi and the Central leadership.
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