Agnivesh regrets being seen as 'villain' during Anna's fast

Would continue supporting Anna despite difference in opinion

PTI | September 16, 2011



Social activist Swamy Agnivesh on Thursday regretted being seen as a "villain" for voicing differences on the manner in which anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare's fast was carried out in its concluding phase.

"I was looked upon like a villain. This is not the first time I voiced my differences about the way the movement was carried on," Agnivesh told a meet-the-press at the Press Club in Thiruvanathapuram.

But he said he would continue supporting Anna's movement without compromising on his views and right to dissent. This was a movement that inspired people, especially youth, after the Jayaprakash Narayan led movement in the 1970s, he said.

Agnivesh said he had opposed Anna's fast plan from the start and also questioned the decision to start it on Aug 16, the day the Lokpal bill was to be taken up by parliament.

He said Anna should have called it off when prime minister Manmohan Singh urged to him to do so from parliament.

"I thought that was the golden moment for Anna to end the fast."

Agnivesh replied in the affirmative when asked if Anna was persuaded to continue his fast by a "coterie" close to him.

He wanted Team Anna to ponder why the movement failed to ensure due participation of Dalits and minorities.

On the controversy over his telephonic talks with one Kapil when Anna's fast was on, he said "this Kapil is not Kapil Sibal or Kapilmuni of Hardwar," but somebody who to a certain extent represented government's view on the Lokpal issue.

Agnivesh said he had asked Team Anna to make note of his dissent on these lines when the core committee met.

Agnivesh criticised home minister Chidambaram's statement that Naxalism was a bigger threat than terrorism, saying "this amounts to playing down terror of terrorism and evading responsibility."

He said he believed that Naxalism could be solved through dialogue with marginalised people like tribals.

On terrorism, he said all political parties in India should condemn it in one voice as in U.S.A after 9/11. "Unfortunately this has not happened and opposition has shown a tendency to take political mileage after every terror attack.

Comments

 

Other News

Rubio denies US foreknowledge of Starlink restrictions in Ukraine

US secretary of state Marco Rubio has said he was unfamiliar with the Wall Street Journal report suggesting Elon Musk had decided to throttle Starlink services in Ukraine, but rejected claims that Washington had ordered the restrictions to pressure Kyiv.   “There was no

Can AI change India’s breast cancer story?

Breast cancer has become a public-health challenge in India. The greatest opportunity is to find cancers earlier. Artificial intelligence (AI) is opening a new era in breast cancer detection. AI systems can analyse mammograms and other breast-imaging studies, identify subtle abnormalities and assist radi

Farm stability in the time of climate change

Indian agriculture is experiencing significant climate volatility, while the world economy seems to be in a highly volatile situation. Economic indices from various countries show that they need to recalibrate their strategies to withstand economic headwinds. In such a challenging situation, a country li

El Niño threatens India’s Rabi crops

India’s southwest monsoon ended with a 13% rainfall deficit in 2026, its weakest performance in a decade, raising concerns over agricultural production, water security and the upcoming rabi season. With El Niño expected to persist into early 2027, experts warn that declining soil moisture, dep

Regulating the data advantage: India’s new e-Commerce framework

For over a decade, India’s e-commerce story has rested on a simple premise: platforms connect buyers and sellers, while data fuels efficiency, personalisation, and scale. However, as the market matured, its structure has revealed a growing imbalance. E-commerce platforms, especially marketplace ent

Changing weather patterns, climate change responsible for Nepal floods

The interaction between active Western Disturbances, increased atmospheric moisture and the region’s complex topography aswell as global warming are important factors behind intense rainfall in the Himalayas, leading to flash floods in Nepal, according to meteorologists. Nepal

Upcoming Conferences



-->

Archives

Current Issue

Opinion

Facebook Twitter Google Plus Linkedin Subscribe Newsletter

Twitter