Delhi: The book Annandolan – Sambhanayen Aur Sawal edited by Arunoday Prakash, a Star News journalist was formally launched by Arvind Kejriwal, team Anna’s member and Major General (Retd.) B. C. Khanduri, former Chief Minister of Uttrakhand on Wednesday late evening at the India International Center, New Delhi. The programme was attended by many eminent journalists and guests. The book published by HarperCollins is a collection essays and interviews of people who either were associated closely with the movement lead by Anna Hazare or who closely watched and observed it. As this movement against corruption led by Anna gained momentum, it also kicked off a raucous discussion on the strategies of Team Anna. Is the Jan Lokpal movement right or wrong? Are all the demands of Team Anna justified? Is the government s debate on it in earnest or a sham?
Each essay or interview in this book takes the ongoing debate a step further. Being associated with the media for a number of years and currently working as a journalist with a television channel, Arunoday closely witnessed the movement lead by Anna. As the editor of the book he has managed to collate a collection of essays that outline the crucial questions that the movement has thrown up and also underline the opportunities and hopes it has brought the common man. It makes a good read for anyone interested to understand the movement better with varied views and suggestions.
At the book release function, Arvind Kejriwal and Maj. Gen (Retd.) B.C. Khanduri openly spoke about their views on the movement led by Anna. Answering questions by journalist and guests present, Kejriwal on being asked about the recent bonding between Anna Hazare and Baba Ramdev on the subjects of corruption and black-money specifically said that, “we do not have a tie-up with Baba Ramdev, but there is an issue based support.”
Kejriwal faced a volley of questions from the guests and the media present there. On being asked why Shamoon Qasmi was expelled from the core group after he was found “secretly” recording the committee proceedings on April 22, 2012 and saying in public that Team Anna’s members Arvind and Manish Sisodia was running the movement like a private limited company, Kejriwal replied that, “Shamoon Qasmi was caught recording by Gopal Rai. Then Shanti Bhushan asked him to surrender the mobile. He did not do so. During all this, neither Manish nor I spoke a word and he did not say anything about us. But he walked out of the meeting and outside, he told media about us. That means, it was pre-decided that he will talk against us. So we feel the whole episode is a sort of sting operation, acting according to a pre-written script.” Adding further, he said, “He recorded the conversations during lunch also which might be private in nature. During such time, people do lose talk. These things should not be out.” Summing up the controversy regarding this issue, Kejriwal explained that they cannot afford to make their strategy public as it would help corrupt people. On a lighter note, on being asked whether Team Anna would enter politics, he replied that, “If we do so then Congress leader Digvijay Singh will tweet tomorrow morning, see I had told you so."
Speaking at the function, BJP leader and former Uttarakhand Chief Minister B C Khanduri praised the movement led by Hazare saying, "For the first time after Independence, one person has made us realize that we can fight the corrupt. During the discussion at the event some of the book’s contributors expressed their views, Ashutosh, Managing Director of IBN 7 News Channel applauded Anna’s movement against corruption. Anand Pradhan, Professor at the Indian Institute of Mass Communication gave a suggestion to Kejriwal that for any movement it is very important to have clarity in its political thoughts and strategies as everything boils down to politics in the end. He also said that only a certain section of society, the middle class is associated with the movement and it leaves out a vast chunk of the Indian population, an estimated 80 per cent who live on a meager Rs 20 a day who do not have any hand in corruption but who bear its repercussions.
Many of the book’s contributors like Ashutosh, Vartika Nanda, Vijay Vidrohi, Sudhanshu Ranjan, Anand Pradhan, Praveen Jha and Shefalika Shekhar were present at the function and participated in the discussion.
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