Hazare happy with Kejriwal's loss, avoids comment on corruption allegations against Modi govt, says Raut

File Pic

Veteran social activist Anna Hazare has expressed satisfaction over Arvind Kejriwal's defeat in the Delhi Assembly elections, according to PTI. Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut, while addressing the media on Sunday, claimed that Hazare has chosen to remain silent on corruption allegations against the Narendra Modi-led government despite his past activism against graft.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) suffered a major setback in the Delhi elections, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) securing 48 out of the 70 assembly seats. Among the notable losses was Kejriwal's own seat in the New Delhi constituency. The outcome marked the end of AAP's rule in the national capital, PTI reports.

Raut questioned Hazare's reluctance to speak out against alleged corruption under the current central government. "Where was Hazare when corruption took place during Modi's rule?" he asked. The Shiv Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha MP alleged that the nation's wealth was being monopolised by a single industrialist and that democracy was being undermined. "What could be the reason behind Hazare's silence at such a crucial time?" he further questioned, as per PTI.

The Sena leader also pointed to alleged irregularities in the voters' lists, stating that similar concerns had been raised in Maharashtra and Delhi. He suggested that the issue would likely arise in Bihar as well. "There was confusion regarding the voters' lists in Maharashtra and Delhi, yet Hazare chose to remain silent. Similar complaints were made in Haryana, and these will surface in Bihar elections too," Raut claimed, according to PTI.

Furthermore, he alleged that electoral processes have deviated from constitutional norms since the BJP assumed power in 2014. "Elections are being won through manipulation and the influence of money power," he asserted. He also opined that the Delhi election results could have been different had the AAP and the Congress contested as allies.

Meanwhile, Hazare, speaking to reporters on Saturday following the declaration of the Delhi poll results, criticised Kejriwal's leadership, claiming that the AAP chief did not heed his advice. "I have always maintained that a candidate should possess pure thoughts, an unblemished life, and a sense of sacrifice - qualities that build trust among voters. I had conveyed this to Kejriwal, but he did not listen. Instead, he became consumed by money power," Hazare remarked, as per PTI.

He further took a jibe at the AAP leader, accusing him of prioritising the now-scrapped excise policy over governance. "He only focused on liquor," Hazare claimed, referring to the controversial policy that had been introduced by the outgoing Delhi government.

(With inputs from PTI)