The epic fraud that was 'India Against Corruption'

The outspoken "independent" heroes of a decade ago -people like Vinod Rai, the auditor who couldn't count, remember him? - have quietly vanished into sinecures provided by the next government

Topics
Anna Hazare | Arvind Kejriwal | Bharatiya Janata Party

Mihir S Sharma 

Mihir S Sharma

Ten years ago this month, a little-known activist from Maharashtra began a fast unto death in Delhi’s Jantar Mantar. In a remarkably short time, Kisan Baburao Hazare’s demonstration turned into a “movement” — or at least that was what an enthusiastically supportive media would have had us believe.

A decade on, please admit it, India: You were duped. “India Against Corruption” was nothing of the sort. It was a vehicle for personal ambitions, of Arvind Kejriwal in particular; it was an arena for middle-class play-acting at protest; it was an ...

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First Published: Fri, April 09 2021. 22:52 IST
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