Dear Anna..

Pune

                                                                                                                                     29th Dec 2011

Dear Anna,

Movements should be driven by ideologies not by emotions, what's worse, they should not be politically motivated. You,the so called new Gandhi of India have got both parts wrong(You got even the wrong part wrong, pity). Your so called campaign against corruption (rather Congress I should say) is not backed by any substantial ideologism and is driven by people's emotions. And I should say, whole of India, except the couple of thousand people who attended the MMRDA fast venue will accept that your campaign is politically motivated.

Let's look deeply why the movement (if any) failed.

1. Annaji, you play a bad Gandhi. None have and none can ever emulate him... (Ben Kingsley was lucky I should say!!). In an age when questions are being raised on the relevance of Gandhi on his very own motherland you made a brave move to show his relevance  and chose to follow his method of protest: Fast unto death. That's only one part you got right Annaji. In his fight for freedom against the mighty British Empire, that spanned over 28 years the Mahatma only chose this method of protest 9 times. And you? Thrice in one year!! Gandhiji only took to fasting as a last resort of protest after trying all other methods. Let me brush up your history. Remember the non-cooperation movement, Civil disobedience movement, Quit India, Dandi March, Swadeshi Movement. And each time he fasted it was fast unto death. It wasn't a 3-day demo, like your’s in Mumbai.(Oops! One-and-a-half day,wasn't it?)
2. Pity that your friends in saffron too have an ideology (skewed it may be) and you don't. Whom are you fighting against?? Congress or Corruption? I felt sorry for you when you walked out of the fasting venue, not knowing what to answer for a question about your "anti-congressness" (Kejriwal, give the elderly man some respect and next time don't forget to hand him the script). I know Congress is no saint but I will talk about it later. You first want (warn) Congress to pass the bill and while the process is underway, you can't even wait. You want an instant-bill (like instant coffee). You hold anti-Congress rallies and tell the voters of Hissar not to vote for Congress. In a democracy, you have to wait my dear man, you got to have patience. It is from elders like you that i have learnt that Patience is the biggest virtue. And when they prepare the bill and present it in the Parliament, you hold parallel People's Parliament (or whatever) in Mumbai. The bill gets passed. And your saffron friends defeat the motion for the Lokpal to become a constitutional body (i.e., of the status of supreme court, EC,CVC, CAG). Still you don't recognize the work of the Grand Old Lady. I agree it is not the Brahmasthra against corruption which you seek. But it isn't a bad thing to start with. You say you will campaign against them in UP and other states that are going for elections. My man, for 40 years the Bill has been jinxed and finally the UPA breaks the jinx and passes the bill, you still call them traitors. And you don't have a word against the saffron-clads. Whom are you against? Your ideology is anti-congress, not anti-corruption. Is it IAC-India against Corruption or AAC-Anna against Congress??
3. Annaji democracy is all about consensus and consensus is what it takes for a democracy. Your 'My way or highway' attitude doesn't work in democratic politics (Please tell this to Kejriwal). You made the Government bend over backwards for working on this bill, full points to you, but you could have moved from your position and met the Government halfway so that you could also have got some credit (which you deserve). But you had other "ideas". One more thing about democracy. You call the Parliamentarians as traitors and say you don't believe them and that the Parliament has failed. You say the People's Parliament is bigger than The Parliament( Kejriwal says Anna is bigger than Parliament. Where is the script Kejriwal?) But Annaji, people's democracy only worked in ancient Athens. For a population of 120 crore? Institutional democracy – the Parliament, Supreme Court, CAG, EC... In one word, the holy book – The Constitution of India. It is only because of this holy scripture that our country has been able to stand firmly on its feet even though countries that have formed along with India  have failed terribly (look at our neighbors who are crying for their daily bread). Hats off to Mr. Ambedkar and company. And now, you want to throw it away? What do you want to replace it with? Kejriwal's script? Remember that the way you have been allowed to organize your stage shows is because India is a democracy – and to say we do not believe in it anymore, is criminal..
4. And finally, you say you will campaign against the congress and tell the voters not to vote for it. If you are committed enough to curb corruption, why don't make the members of your famed Team Anna contest in elections? By campaigning against Congress whom do you want the people of UP to vote for? Mayawati?? (Have you heard of Taj Corridor by any chance?) or Mulayam Singh??(Please!). Kejriwal, the Captain of the ship, did not contest in elections when elections were held in his own backyard, Hissar. Annaji, if you want the country to change, don't try to bring about the change. Be the change.

Finally I would like to add, I have full respect for you. But the people around you will bring you down. They have their own agendas and please do not be a puppet in their hands. A typical proof of this was when a petition was filed in the Mumbai High Court for relaxation in the rent quoted to you for the MMRDA ground. When the court slammed the movement, you gave a statement in the media, that you had told your team members not to approach the High Court since you expected such a rebuttal from the court. Your own team did not listen to you. I am sure most of the things you do today are not per your wish

I rest my case.

                                                              No thanks
                                           (if you intend to go on fast again.)
                                                                                                                    Yours eloquently,
                                                                                                               An Indian who believes  
                                                                                                                    'Change started'.