New Delhi:
Anna Hazare's hunger strike and campaign for 'India Against Corruption' helped the country shake off its inertia. Lakhs of Indians across the world backed Mr Hazare's movement which forced the government to immediately begin work on a tough new law to combat corruption.
However, some of Mr Hazare's supporters have expressed their discontent with his recent statement, where he praised the development accomplished by the Gujarat government.
Artist-activist Mallika Sarabahi, who had participated in demonstrations in Ahmedabad to support Mr Hazare, has written a critical letter to Mr Hazare. Here's the full text of that letter:
Dear Annaji,
We are deeply shocked by your endorsement of Narendra Modi's rural development. There has been little or no rural development in this state. In fact, gauchar lands and irrigated farmlands have been stealthily taken by the government and sold off at ridiculous prices to a small club of industrialists. There has been no Lokayukta in Gujarat for nearly seven years so hundreds of complaints against corruption are lying unheard. From the Sujalam Sufalam scam of 1700 crores to the NREGS boribund scam of 109 crores, the fisheries scam of 600 crores, every department is involved in thousands of crores of scams.
The poor and rural people are being sold to Modi's friends the industrialists. The state is in terrible debt because of his largess to industry while 21 lakh farmers wait for compensation. Your endorsement is appalling and we will be forced to distance ourselves from the Lokpal movement unless it is irrevocably retracted.
Sincerely
Mallika Sarabhai