New Delhi: In 2011, an anti-corruption agitation, popularly referred to as the Anna Andolan led by soldier-turned-social activist Anna Hazare, shook the then UPA authorities on the Centre and united hundreds of thousands of Indians.
With its key demand for a Jan Lokpal or anti-graft ombudsman, the agitation drew folks from all walks of life, noticed comparisons with the “Arab Spring”, and obtained centred at New Delhi’s Jantar Mantar.
A yr later, a break up among the many key members of the agitation led to the delivery of a political occasion, the Aam Aadmi Celebration (AAP), that captured the nation’s creativeness and rose to energy within the nationwide capital within the subsequent elections.
Quick ahead a decade — two of the AAP’s distinguished leaders are behind bars going through costs of corruption, Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain.
On 5 April 2011, Hazare introduced that he was sitting on a starvation strike at Jantar Mantar for enactment of a stringent anti-corruption legislation. He was joined by key members of the India Towards Corruption (IAC) civil society group, reminiscent of Arvind Kejriwal, who’s now Delhi Chief Minister, Kiran Bedi, a former IPS officer, and Kumar Vishwas and Manish Sisodia, each founding members of the AAP however the former is now not with the occasion.
Hazare ended his first quick on 9 April however continued a sequence of fasts urgent for his calls for. Over the subsequent yr, the motion continued to collect momentum, with a large cross-section of individuals — activists, journalists, actors — supporting Hazare on the streets throughout India.
Whereas the agitation was profitable in making the federal government comply with key calls for relating to the Lokpal laws, Kejriwal insisted that political involvement was essential to drive adjustments. Hazare needed to steer clear of politics.
This resulted in a rift within the core group of the Anna Andolan. In August 2012, Hazare introduced that he was disbanding his crew, and shaped a brand new one, Staff Anna 2.0, in November that yr. Kejriwal proceeded to launch the AAP the identical month. Many stayed with him whereas others a part of the anti-graft motion went on to pursue totally different paths.
For instance, AAP’s emblem designer Sunil Lal stop the occasion and later served a discover to Kejriwal asking him to withdraw the emblem from all official works, together with the AAP web site. Lal mentioned his perception “within the occasion and its ideology had been shattered”.
One other supporter of the motion, a UK-based software program engineer who had gifted the AAP a blue Wagon R automobile during which Kejriwal would often journey, asked for the car again as he was upset with the rift within the crew.
Right here’s a have a look at how the opposite supporters of the agitation have fared over time.
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P.V. Rajagopal
A Gandhian activist, Rajagopal walked out of the IAC when a few of the members determined to take a political flip. His resolution was triggered by the group’s anti-Congress marketing campaign within the Hisar bypoll in late 2011, which Rajagopal alleged was not agreed upon in core-committee conferences.
He’s at the moment the pinnacle of Ekta Parishad — a folks’s motion for land rights — who additionally provided to mediate between farmers and the Modi authorities throughout the 2020-21 agitation towards the farm legal guidelines.
Final yr, Rajagopal was seen at Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra.
Arvind Gaur
A widely known theatre director, playwright and founding father of the Asmita theatre group, Gaur grew to become a part of the Anna Andolan within the early days and was seen on the dais with Hazare a number of instances.
In the course of the agitation, he dealt with the cultural wing of the IAC, forming groups of actors to carry out avenue performs. He claimed, in line with a report by India At the moment, that a number of of his actors had been provided tickets by AAP to struggle the 2015 Delhi elections, however they refused.
Gaur separated from the motion after the rift between Kejriwal and Hazare, and was a part of the second Staff Anna, till it will definitely pale. He continues to put in writing and direct socially related performs and in addition has a cameo within the upcoming movie Emergency, primarily based on former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s life.
Ranvir Shorey
Bollywood actor Ranvir Shorey spoke from the dais just a few instances throughout the motion, and was captured in photos with its supporters. Whereas not formally part of the agitation, he was one of many distinguished Bollywood voices who confirmed their assist by being bodily current on the venue.
He was additionally amongst those that had steered to the primary Hazare grouping to start out a political occasion after ending the starvation strike, as steered by his tweets.
Shorey continued to assist Kejriwal and the AAP for a while, however said in 2017 that Kejriwal and “his coterie” had used the IAC and Jan Lokpal motion to “parachute themselves into the enterprise of politics”.
So principally, Kejriwal & his coterie used the IAC & Janlokpal motion to parachute themselves into the enterprise of politics. Unforgivable.
— Ranvir Shorey (@RanvirShorey) May 7, 2017
These days, he typically tweets in assist of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Santosh Hegde
Former Karnataka Lokayukta, Supreme Courtroom choose and key member of the motion, Hegde had recalled in 2016, in line with a report in The Financial Instances, that he and Kejriwal have been collectively for 18 months on the peak of the motion. He had additionally alleged that the AAP chief had not executed something to curb corruption whereas in energy.
He has since been an lively critic of Kejriwal and his authorities in Delhi.
Whereas a key member of the agitation, Hegde distanced himself from statements made by crew members, together with the necessity for a plebiscite in Kashmir, and corruption costs towards then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and 14 of his ministerial colleagues.
Sri Sri Ravishankar
“Anna motion is making historical past” — that is what Artwork of Residing founder Sri Sri Ravishankar had mentioned in August 2011 in Delhi, when Hazare and his crew had gathered for an indefinite quick. He had additionally gone to Tihar Jail to satisfy Hazare when he was lodged there after his arrest.
When Kejriwal had stop as CM in 2014 after 49 days in energy in Delhi, Ravishankar had written an article criticising the transfer, and praised Narendra Modi’s “Gujarat mannequin” of governance. Within the latest previous, he has been selling the varied initiatives of the Modi authorities.
Ashutosh
Journalist-turned politician Ashutosh joined the AAP in January 2014 earlier than the Lok Sabha elections and resigned 4 years later in 2018. In 2014, he was given a celebration ticket for the Chandni Chowk Lok Sabha seat.
From being the occasion’s spokesperson to a member of its highest decision-making physique, Ashutosh was seen as a trusted aide of Kejriwal. He resigned citing private causes and at the moment runs a digital media outlet referred to as SatyaHindi.
Over time, he has grow to be an lively critic of the AAP and its politics, alleging that there is no such thing as a inside democracy within the occasion. Final yr, he tweeted asking why the occasion had remained silent on the early launch of Bilkis Bano’s rapists by the Gujarat authorities.
Why @ArvindKejriwal @AamAadmiParty silent on Bilkis Bano situation ?
— ashutosh (@ashutosh83B) August 17, 2022
Nevertheless, he admitted in a column for NDTV, written after AAP’s Punjab win in 2022, that AAP’s “promise of free water and electrical energy and its profitable supply (in Delhi) has introduced big goodwill (to the occasion) within the Capital”.
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Shashi Kant
After Kiran Bedi, former Punjab DGP Shashi Kant, well-known for his anti-drug marketing campaign within the state, grew to become the second IPS officer to assist Hazare in his bid to struggle corruption, after retiring in 2012.
He led the IAC motion in Punjab and joined the AAP in January 2014, solely to stop in a month citing the “inaccessibility” of the occasion’s high leaders.
Basic V.Okay. Singh
Quickly after retiring in 2012, former Military Chief Basic V.Okay. Singh had joined Hazare on the stage a number of instances throughout his starvation strikes. He was among the many 22 signatories who had appealed to Hazare to finish his indefinite starvation strike, and was later invited by the crusader to grow to be a part of the core committee of his non-political faction.
Singh joined the BJP in 2014 and was elected as Lok Sabha MP. He has additionally been appointed as minister of state in each phrases of the Modi authorities.
Shazia Ilmi
Shazia Ilmi, a former journalist, was one of many distinguished Muslim faces of the Anna Andolan, and later the AAP. She put forth the occasion’s viewpoint in TV debates. In 2014, she left the occasion citing lack of “internal democracy and course”, and joined the BJP in 2015. She is at the moment a nationwide spokesperson of the occasion.
Medha Patkar
The social activist and pioneer of the Narmada Bachao Andolan was one of many core members of the Anna Andolan. She was additionally a part of the 15-member coordination committee that Hazare had introduced after severing ties with Kejriwal.
Patkar had, in line with a PTI report, referred to as Kejriwal and his crew’s resolution to affix politics “hasty”. Nevertheless, she joined the AAP in 2014 and fought and misplaced that yr’s Lok Sabha election on a celebration ticket from North-east Mumbai. She stop the occasion a yr later.
Final yr, Patkar had joined Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra — a matter the BJP used as an election plank with PM Modi asking at a rally “on what ethical floor is the Congress looking for votes in Gujarat when its chief was joined in his Bharat Jodo Yatra by a lady who stalled the Narmada dam venture for 3 a long time”.
Prashant Bhushan
Senior lawyer Prashant Bhushan was a robust advocate of Hazare’s crew getting into politics and helped type the AAP. However the tables turned quickly after he was expelled from the occasion in 2015 over alleged anti-party actions.
Bhushan later acknowledged that Kejriwal might “even be part of fingers with Prime Minister Narendra Modi” and that he was “completely unscrupulous”.
In 2021, Bhushan tweeted that he was “ashamed to have partnered with and promoted Kejriwal within the Lokpal marketing campaign”.
At the moment, I’m really ashamed at having partnered with & promoted Kejriwal within the Lokpal Marketing campaign. He used the marketing campaign to grow to be CM. Then junked the Lokpal; junked transparency of funding of AAP; junked different politics altogether;& now attempting to outdo BJP in ‘Hindu Nationalism’ https://t.co/TfNlGmDv9U
— Prashant Bhushan (@pbhushan1) March 15, 2021
Bhushan was additionally seen taking part within the Bharat Jodo Yatra.
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Yogendra Yadav
Activist and educational Yogendra Yadav was among the many AAP leaders who have been expelled from the occasion in 2015. A former professor at Panjab College, he joined the IAC and later grew to become a member of the nationwide government of AAP.
He was seen taking part in TV debates, expressing the occasion’s viewpoint, and at nearly each vital AAP occasion together with Kejriwal.
On his expulsion from AAP, Yadav had written in an opinion piece in 2021: “Our mistake was not in forming a political occasion — not doing so would have performed into the fingers of the BJP — however in not with the ability to be sure that the occasion stayed on an moral course. As quickly as we realised this, we protested and have been thrown out of the occasion. However sufficient injury had been executed by then.”
He later based Swaraj Abhiyan and Jai Kisan Andolan and was an lively participant within the farmers’ motion of 2020-2021 in addition to the Bharat Jodo Yatra.
Mayank Gandhi
Activist Mayank Gandhi grew to become the face of the Anna Andolan in Mumbai. He was a member of the core committee of the IAC and a nationwide government member of the AAP.
In 2015, he resigned from the nationwide government over “dropping curiosity in politics”, and later alleged that Kejriwal had turned the AAP from a democratic occasion into an autocratic one. In 2018, he wrote a e book titled AAP and Down, capturing the occasion’s journey.
Avinash Dharmadhikari
Together with Shashi Kant, former IAS officer Avinash Dharmadhikari was the face of Staff Anna 2.0. A former freelance journalist, he took voluntary retirement from the service in 1996 and obtained concerned in activism full time.
He had joined Shiv Sena in 2009, however stop in 2011, simply forward of the Anna Andolan. The previous civil servant continues to be the director of an organisation he based, Chanakya Mandal Pariwar, a charitable belief working within the fields of profession steerage, aggressive exams and persona growth.
Sunita Godara
The 1992 Asian Marathon Champion joined Hazare’s agitation within the preliminary days when a number of different sportspersons had lent their assist, however continued as a key member till 2012.
Godara didn’t be part of the AAP, and now runs her personal NGO — Well being Health Belief & Well being Health Society, primarily based in Delhi. Godara steers away from political statements on the AAP or the BJP.
Rajendra Singh
Water conservationist and environmentalist Rajendra Singh, popularly referred to as “waterman of India”, was one of many first to half methods with the anti-graft motion.
He determined to depart in October 2011, when Hazare introduced assist for Haryana Janhit Congress-BJP alliance candidate Kuldeep Bishnoi as a part of the IAC group’s anti-Congress marketing campaign forward of the Hisar bypoll.
Singh, nonetheless, met Hazare throughout his 2019 starvation strike in Maharashtra.
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Akhil Gogoi
Assamese RTI activist Akhil Gogoi was amongst those that broke off from the IAC after a few of its members joined politics.
Gogoi had led a state-wide motion towards dams and land mafia in Assam. He additionally protested towards the Citizenship Modification Act and was arrested in 2019. He based a political outfit, Raijor Dal, in 2020 and received the 2021 Assam meeting election from Sivasagar constituency whereas in jail.
In March this yr, Gogoi attended a gathering of opposition leaders referred to as by the Congress in Guwahati with an eye fixed on the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
Ankit Lal
Ankit Lal, techie and former social media head of the IAC, obtained related to the motion in its early days and would reply to “400 to 500 emails” acquired on the IAC’s official electronic mail deal with “on any given day”. He was volunteering with the group whereas working a full-time job. In 2012, he stop his job and joined the AAP full time. He headed the social media and IT wings of the occasion earlier than foraying into political consulting in 2020.
Anand Kumar and Ajit Jha
Retired JNU professor of sociology Anand Kumar contested the 2014 Lok Sabha polls on an AAP ticket from the Northeast Delhi constituency however misplaced to BJP candidate Manoj Tiwari. Ajit Jha, one other educational, was additionally a key member of the AAP, who was expelled from the occasion together with Kumar, Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan. Kumar later obtained related to Swaraj Abhiyan.
Anjali Damania
Activist Anjali Damania joined the Anna Andolan in 2011, and later, the AAP. She fought the 2014 Lok Sabha election towards BJP chief Nitin Gadkari from Nagpur and headed the AAP’s Maharashtra unit. She, nonetheless, left the occasion in 2015.
Damania has continued along with her activism since then, occurring a starvation strike in 2016 demanding the resignation of BJP chief Eknath Khadse, who was then a minister in Maharashtra, over a land deal.
Ashish Khetan
Ashish Khetan was a journalist who turned to politics when he joined the AAP, however finally stop the occasion in 2018, saying he was “disillusioned with the politics of Kejriwal”.
As a member of the AAP, he contested the 2014 Lok Sabha polls from New Delhi seat towards Meenakshi Lekhi however misplaced. Khetan was the mind behind the “Delhi Dialogue” idea, which is alleged to have helped the AAP join with voters. From 2015 to 2018, he served as vice-chairperson of the Delhi authorities’s policymaking physique and suppose tank Dialogue and Improvement Fee of Delhi.
A month after quitting the AAP, Khetan had hailed the Modi authorities’s Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana.
He’s at the moment a professor at Jindal International Legislation College.
(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)
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