Backward classes, minorities criticize Hazare’s anti-corruption movement

Backward classes, minorities criticize Hazare’s anti-corruption movement

Mangalore Today News Network

Udupi, Sep 12, 2011 : Dr. C. S. Dwaraknath, the former chairman of the State Commission for Backward Classes, criticized Anna Hazare’s anti-corruption movement and said that a real civil social movement includes all sections of society. Besides, Hazare’s movement involves people who are themselves corrupt, he added.

 

Dr. Dwaraknatha was speaking at an interactive event titled Corruption – Causes and Solutions organized by the Social Justice Forum, Sahamatha Forum, and the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) on Saturday.

Further criticizing the Hazare-led anti-corruption movement, he mentioned 3 major flaws in it—the movement uses unconstitutional methods, it incorporates socio-economic inequality, and has elements of hero worship. According to Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, any movement that has such flaws is a failure, he added.

Elaborating further, he said that all the civil society members in Hazare’s movement such as

Prashanth Bhushan, Kiran Bedi, Shanti Bhushan, and Aravind Kejriwal are people from the upper caste, and the movement has not a single member from the minorities or the backward classes. Criticizing advocate Prashanth Bhushan, he said that he charges as much as Rs. 40 lakh per case from clients and does not issue receipts for the same. He also said that Kejriwal has accepted $4000 million as donation from the Ford Foundation. Stating that these people are corrupt, he said that they have no rights to protest against corruption.

Dr. Dwaraknath also wanted to know why human rights issues are not highlighted, added that Irom Sharmila’s 11-year-fast against injustice should have attracted more attention than Hazare’s anti corruption movement.

He also said that NGOs, religious institutions, and corporate bodies should be brought under the Jan Lokpal Bill.

Speaking on the occasion, K. Phaniraj, the writer, demanded that corporate bodies should be brought under the ambit of the Jan Lokpal Bill because Indian companies are looting the public by declaring non-performing assets. These companies take bank loans and do not repay them; instead, the banks declare their collateral as non-performing assets, he added.

Social workers Dr. Niketana and Prof. Rita Noronha also spoke on the occasion. An open discussion on the issue followed.