Anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare hit back at Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday, flatly denying claims in her newly released memoir that the BJP and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh secretly orchestrated his 2011–2012 mass movement to bring down the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government.
Hazare severed any association with the right-wing outfits. He called the accusation baseless.
"This is wrong," Hazare said, addressing questions over the allegations published in Gandhi's memoir, Belonging: A Journey of Love. "I don't have any connection with the BJP or RSS. I don't participate in their programmes. My country is my priority."
The controversy erupted after excerpts from Gandhi's book surfaced in the public domain, casting the 2011–2012 civic storm that battered the second Manmohan Singh administration as a partisan plot rather than an organic public uprising.
Gandhi wrote that the anti-graft mobilization—which seized public attention under the banner of India Against Corruption—served as an institutional Trojan horse for the opposition.
In 2012 a well-known activist from Maharashtra, Baburao 'Anna' (Marathi for 'father' or 'elder brother') Hazare, emerged as the figurehead of a movement that titled itself 'India Against Corruption.' Some of its prominent participants have stated since that it was covertly organised and supported by the BJP and RSS.
Sonia Gandhi, in *Belonging: A Journey of Love*
The nationwide campaign pushed the UPA government into a corner through high-voltage hunger strikes, paralyzed parliamentary sessions, and galvanized millions across urban centers ahead of the 2014 general election.
Hazare dismantled the assertion that his civic platform took cues from Nagpur or the BJP headquarters in New Delhi, stressing that his lifelong activism has remained strictly outside party politics.
"Whatever I do is for my society and country. I don't have anything to do with any party," Hazare said. "What is the basis to claim that the Manmohan Singh-led government lost the [2014] elections due to my agitation?"
Then came the personal rebuke. Hazare noted that he and Gandhi share no personal acquaintance whatsoever, rendering her characterization speculative.
"Neither has she seen Anna Hazare, nor have I seen her so far," Hazare stated. "How appropriate is it to comment something without even seeing each other? A responsible person should speak responsibly. It is not right to speak in a vague manner. It diminishes that person's image."
| :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |
|---|---|---|---|
| Movement in Question | India Against Corruption (2011–2012) | ||
| Core Allegation by Sonia Gandhi | Covert organization and operational backing by BJP and RSS | ||
| Target of Agitation | Manmohan Singh-led UPA Government | ||
| Hazare's Counter-Position | Non-partisan civic agitation driven strictly by national interest | ||
| Direct Contact History | None; both leaders have never met in person |
Congress functionaries have yet to submit documented evidence corroborating the claims cited in the memoir, while Hazare's associates in Ralegan Siddhi maintained that the veteran activist plans no further legal action over the passage.