MUMBAI, May 21: Social reformer Anna Hazare's anti-corruption crusade is raising all kinds of eyebrows. His on-again-off-again fasts to protest against corruption in high places are beginning to invite ridicule. His latest disclosures on Tuesday about the involvement of Minister for Social Welfare Babanrao Gholap in a Rs six-crore land and loom purchase scam held neither no surprises. The let down has been more severe because he raised public expectation with hints about the involvement of topguns in the Sahara Resort scam but chose to withhold those explosive documents for now.

However, friends are willing to take a charitable view of him. At the same time, they wish Hazare would see through the politicians who are using him to their own ends.

Says Mrinal Gore, activist and Janata Dal leader, ``I do not understand why Anna should withdraw his fast for only one promise. It is not fair that he should be made to stake his life for assurances that we all know will not be kept.''

Admitting reluctantly to a feeling of let-down, she says, ``If Anna believes in this government, then he shouldn't be doing all this. If he doesn't, why should he fall for their promises?''

But, says former Bombay Municipal Commissioner, S S Tinaikar, who has known Hazare for more than a decade, ``Hazare is no match for wily politicians. He is naive and a simpleton and so gets carried away by all these false promises. He is incapable of seeing through their political games.''

It is Tinaikar's case that Hazare gets charmed by ``sweet talk''. For this is the third time that he has been lured into promises to break his fast: twice by Joshi and the first time round by the State Chief Secretary when he launched a fast against corruption during the Sharad Pawar regime. Pawar, then, tried to buy him off through the Ideal Village Project that Hazare now heads, says Tinaikar. ``But he couldn't because Anna is completely honest and refused to accept government cars and accommodation for his personal use.''

According to Tinaikar, Hazare earlier gave Thackeray a clean chit entirely because Thackeray made personal contact with him on the telephone. ``Earlier Pawar succeeded in charming him with a single meeting. So I knew that the instant Manohar Joshi made contact with him this time round, he would withdraw his fast. I am disappointed but not surprised.''

Former Deputy Municipal Commissioner G R Khairnar, however, makes few bones about saying that Hazare is somehow obliged to the government for the funds given to his Hind Swarajya Trust and so will ``never be in a position to defy them.'' ``No other trust received such largesse so promptly from the government. The politicians definitely have motives in supporting him. So is it surprising that he was stopped in his tracks by a single letter from Joshi?''

Khairnar fell out with Hazare because the social crusader, he says, asked him to refrain from naming Pawar, Joshi or Thackeray in any campaign against corruption. Khairnar does not recognise Hazare's vulnerability to the ``charm syndrome'' outlined by Tinaikar. But angry as he is with Hazare, Khairnar still admits that he is ``innocent, though misled''.

Indeed Hazare's vulnerability is recognised in ample measure by many of his close associates. One such individual is social activist Pushpa Bhave, who is busy setting up an anti-corruption trust to be headed by Hazare. ``I do not say this for Anna. But speaking for myself, I would rather not associate with the government in any manner because it could compromise your position.''

Now the question uppermost in minds of his supporters is: will the people lose faith in Hazare? Gore voices the concern when she adds, ``People should not stop supporting him because all said and done he has managed to stop corrupt ministers in their track. It is, after all, a remarkable achievement in such a short time.''

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.