On 5th April 2011, India witnessed the beginning of a series of massive anti-corruption movements in its history. Anna Hazare, a Gandhian activist, set up a hunger protest for the government to pass the Jan Lokpal Bill (People’s Ombudsman Bill) against corruption. The bill incorporated strict rules and regulations against corruption by providing greater power to Lokpal and Lokayuktas (Ombudsman). Anna Andolan was a hunger strike in Jantar Mantar, located in the country’s capital, New Delhi, led by Anna Hazare. After a long struggle, the bill was passed on 1st January 2014, but was yet to be implemented.

Indian Anti Corruption Movement

In recent years, government-led policies and regulations controlling businesses have slowed the economic growth by illegal and dishonest activities of the people in authority and power. With the media showcasing the corruption cases promptly, people have become aware of the government’s loopholes and blackmarks. When the officials and ministers are involved in scams and acts of corruption, people start questioning the ruling party and its government’s regulations. These allegations led to the formation of anti-corruption movements.

• In 2011, India Against Corruption (IAC) was formed, an anti-corruption movement famous for its protest on establishing the Jan Lokpal bill. The committee has been fighting corruption and insisting on establishing the Lokpal bill.
• The IAC launched a campaign to allow the citizens to understand the corrupt government policies and demand the government to draft the Lokpal bill. 
• The head committee of IAC had only 24 core members; some prominent people included Anna Hazare, Anupam Kher, Arvind Kejriwal, Ashwini Kumar Upadhyaya, Kiran Bedi, and Kumar Vishwas, Manish Sisodia. The campaign gained power when it reached social media, and Anna retained the massive support of youngsters.
• The movement was led by anti-corruption activist Anna Hazare, an ex-soldier and Gandhian. He was already known for his middle-class youngster support, but the campaign and his urban sophistication gained Bollywood stars’ and English media’s support as well.

Anna Andalon and its Accomplishments

• Anna Hazare, the face of Anna Andolan, set out on a hunger strike in April 2011 for the government to form a committee including the government officials and civil society to form a stern bill with more power and authority to its Ombudsman.
• The bill was supposed to establish strong regulations and rulings on corruption. He has been fighting corruption for the past two decades and has omitted himself from political commitment, unlike his team member Arvind Kejriwal, the current chief minister of Delhi.
• Despite the support of the opposing ruling party, Anna did not allow any political representative to join him.
• Anna’s actions spoke volumes and gained sympathy. People started to support him from other cities, including Bangalore, Chennai, Mumbai, and Ahmedabad.
• Many celebrities and businessmen were also on the protest site. Protesters from Germany, US, Britain, and France also joined the anti-corruption activist Anna Hazare.
• This tremendous support and sympathy compelled the government to acknowledge Anna Andolan.
• The government agreed to the activists’ demands and proposed a committee to draft the Jan Lokpal bill.
• However, the government took control by having a government official as the committee head and a civil person as its vice member to avoid the bill being less powerful.

Jan Lokpal Bill 2013

• After the Jantar Mantar protest, Anna didn’t stop fighting corruption; he led a series of fasts and protests until the government passed the bill in 2013.
• Almost a decade after Anna Andolan, the 2013 passed bill was yet to be implemented.
• Anna has constantly warned the government to take necessary actions, or else he might resort to his protest. 
• Once the committee was formed, there was constant opinion differentiation between the government officials and the civil society members.
• The committee submitted both the bills to the parliament and allowed them to choose. But the activist warned of an infinite fast if the parliament opposed the considerations of civil society.
• Fortunately, after breaking his fast after nine days, the parliament accepted the bill the very next day. The bill’s passing was a huge success for the anti-corruption activist Anna Hazare. 

The Outcome of Anna Andolan

After the Jantar Mantar protest, the IAC failed to pass the Jan Lokpal bill in 2011. This failure, despite huge support, encouraged the team to become proactively involved in politics, though the activist Anna refrained from such political distraction. Thus the team split up with Arvind Kejriwal leading India Against Corruption campaign and established his political party Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), in November 2012. AAP became the second winning party and made the minority government.

Conclusion

Six years after passing the bill, the committee finally appointed the official Ombudsman in 2019. For all this to happen, it took so many protests and hunger strikes, all initiated by anti-corruption activist Anna Hazare. Corruption isn’t a new topic in Indian politics; India has been fighting corruption since independence. The overprotection and regulation of unfair government officials gave rise to massive scams, doubting the administration’s transparency. However, the anti-corruption protest gained momentum during Anna Andolan, bringing to light the bill’s importance to the Indian youth. Anna’s continuous efforts and public support compelled the government to enforce the Lokpal bill and gave success to Anna Hazare’s decades of hard work.