Losing the plot: Anna Hazare's anti-land bill agitation is headed nowhere

Anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare’s much-hyped movement against the controversial Land Acquisition bill seems to be fizzling out. After being in the limelight for taking a strong position against the Narendra Modi government’s amended version of the 2013 Land Acquisition Act (which he said is anti-farmer) the 77-year old social activist from Ralegan Sidhi has gone slow on in backing words with action. In an event related to relief for the Nepal earthquake victims being organized by the residents of Latur in Maharashtra on 12 May, Hazare warned of another fast if the ‘anti-farmer’ provisions in the NDA government-proposed Land Acquisition Bill were not removed. [caption id=“attachment_2243742” align=“alignleft” width=“380” class=" “]  Anna Hazare. PTI[/caption] Stating that he would go on a fast, just like he did in 2011 on the Lokpal issue, Hazare told PTI at Latur, “If the government doesn’t make changes in the Bill to safeguard farmers’ interests, we will launch a nationwide jail bharo agitation. The second alternative is my fast, like the one in 2011”. But before the nation plans for the massive agitation planned by the social activist, it is interesting to note that his mass contact programme planned with the farmers across the country and ‘padyatra’ from Sevagram to Delhi never happened. It has gone nowhere so far even as the NDA government has shown no sign of backing off on its bill. “It’ll take some time as a committee is yet to be formed and further plan of action will be decided thereafter. A meeting was recently held in Pune to contact farmers over there,” Hazare’s assistant Datta Awari from Ralegan Sidhi told Firstpost. Hazare during his last visit to Delhi on February 27 had told Firstpost, “I have to live for my farmers. I don’t want to fall ill or die by undertaking a fast. Now, this time it will be ‘Jail Bharo’ (filling up the jails). It’ll be a mass movement, an agitation against the central government.” Prior to it, he had said that mass contact with the farmers would be made to mobilize them for a ‘padyatra’ from Sevagram to Delhi. A source close to Hazare said, “A meeting will soon be commenced to form the committee. It has somehow got delayed. After that, the agenda and plan of action will be chalked out regarding mass contact and padyatra.” Hazare had mentioned the ‘jail bharo andolan’ as the last resort – to be undertaken after the ‘padyatra’ – if the government refused to budge on the land bill issue. But, first it was to spread awareness amongst the farmers in the country. “Our aim will be to spread awareness against the ills of this Bill, which the government wants to push through, and to bring as many farmers and volunteers in the fold of our movement. They will be a part of the padyatra,” Hazare had said. However, the member sounded apprehensive about the future of Hazare’s ‘padyatra’ and nationwide mobilization of farmers. “Nothing much has progressed since Anna ji’s last Delhi visit. Now, they have to decide the final course of action after setting up a committee,” a member of Bhoomi Adhigrahan Adhyadesh Pratirodh Aandolan, an umbrella organization of farmers’ unions said on condition of anonymity. This organization had backed Hazare’s farmers’ rally at Jantar Mantar in Delhi in February, which was the first major public agitation against the BJP-led government at the Centre. “Somewhere there seems to be inconsistency in the movement. It has slowed down from January-February when it had seemed to be picking up,” the member of the umbrella organization added.