Anjali Damania: A Homemaker's Fight against Corruption

Bangalore: Anjali Damania, the India Against Corruption activist and the whistle blower of the Maharashtra irrigation scam dropped a massive surprise by backing up that the ‘next big expose’ would be against the BJP’s President Nitin Gadkari. Anjali stumbled into activism after joining IAC movement like hundreds of others last year.

Towards the end of September this year, Damania had revealed on national TV that BJP’s national president Nitin Gadkari had snubbed her when she went to meet him for helping her in the irrigation scam, as reported by Ketaki Ghoge for Hindustan Times.

It was reasoned that since Anjali had taken up clubs against NCP over irrigation scam, it would have made sense to keep BJP as friends, particularly since she had no evidence to back her claims.

Damania had stood her ground in spite of Gadkari sending her a defamation notice. She insisted that he had told her that he has business relations with NCP chief Sharad Pawar.

Anjali has made a comeback, after scanning and investigating in Nagpur, Gadkari’s hometown. However, IAC's charges against Gadkari have put him in a hitch.

But, Anjali, a pathologist by profession and a home maker has the newest twist in her battle to expose irrigation scam in the state.

Anjali has an RSS background and thought that BJP could help her in this fight. Some BJP leaders in Maharashtra including legislator Devendra Fadnavis, former MLA Kirit Somiaya, Eknath Khadse have met her in the past on this issue. Her fight began with a view to protect her own land in Karjat that had been threatened by an irrigation project.

But, with a determination to not give up and equipped with the Right to Information Act, Anjali found shocking information, firstly on this specific project and then on several others, like Balganga, Kalu, Susari, all commissioned newly in Konkan.

The RTI papers revealed cost escalations in violation of all standards, contractor-official-politician nexus, avoidance of tender documents all leading to a scam worth thousands of crores. These were the findings that could displace the NCP.

Anjali said she realized soon enough that she was alone in her fight.

The above is from the newsletter I receive from Silicon India.

Anjali is the newest ammunition with Arvind in his fight against corruption in high places.

Unfortunately, Y P Singh, owing to some misunderstanding probably may have fallen out with Arvind.

I would request all those who are fighting against corruption to leave behind their personal egos and combine forces to fight the monster.

We must understand that the enemy is very strong and has at its disposal, the CBI, Income Tax Department, ED, the entire police force.

You have only the Supreme Court and some of the High Courts to assist you.

We cannot afford to fight against each other.

For once and for all time, let us kill the monster of Corruption.

This appeal is for all those members who have been associated with IAC, who have for some reasons drifted away. Even I would not invite Swami Agnivesh for he seems to be a wolf in sheep's clothes, a Judas, a Jaichand