News of the Akshaya Patra Foundations (APFs) independent trustees resigning, which was in the air for over a month, thrust itself into the public domain when the Deepavali crackers were being burst. Why it took such a long time to be confirmed by both parties the missionary and independent members we will see a little later. But first, let us explore the nature of the controversy that had enveloped the APF until the independent trustees resigned, and why that had a moral bearing on all those involved in running the APF.

The controversy with regard to the APF, until recently, had to do with their diet, which excluded onion and garlic. The fact that they also refused to serve eggs to children had gone against the science of nutrition. It was seen as the intransigent ideological position of ISKCON-Bangalore, which reflected upper-caste food values in India.

The ISKCON-Bangalore, as an independent private entity, was free to pursue its faith, but sadly the APF, which it hosted, was portrayed as independent of ISKCON-Bangalore right from its inception around 2000. It received public and private donations with this particular appeal, and importantly, became the agency of many state governments to implement the midday meal welfare programme. Currently, 14 state governments and the Government of Indias Ministry of Human Resources Development are partnering with the APF to serve around 19,000 schools across the country.

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By perusing the names on its board of trustees, advisors and donors, one can see how the APF, over two decades, became a cherished hub where missionaries met corporates and influenced bureaucrats and politicians to hand over the governments midday meal programme. Till the ISKCON-corporate partnership happened, midday meal scheme had an autonomous community structure, and still does in many places where the APF does not reach.

It was obvious to anybody looking that in the new arrangement, faith mingled with philanthropy in a not-so-subtle way. Since this was about meals to underprivileged children, and since the APF aggressively advertised hygienic kitchens, a corruption-free milieu, a hassle-free delivery system and happy faces of kids, many were reluctant to question the intermingling of faith and philanthropy that was explicitly supported by public funds. The impression that the APF gave until recently was that it was a well-run foundation with professional expertise that came from the very cream of Indian corporates. Gradually, over the years, the reinforcement of APFs branding was such that it became an ISCKON-Bangalore programme and not one heavily subsidised by governments. There was very little effort to correct this perception by government officials or politicians.

The legitimacy that was constructed for the APF with big names like N.R. Narayana Murthy, Gururaj Desh Deshpande, Dr Devi Shetty, Deepak Chopra and others made it difficult for the media to question the group. Whenever they did, there would be enormous pressure to either retrace the opinion or abort follow up questions. Paradoxically, after all this image management in two decades, the independent trustees T.V. Mohandas Pai, Raj P. Kondur, V. Balakrishnan and Abhay Jain have now issued statements which suggest that the APF has serious governance issues and has also had to contend with wrongdoings and whistle-blower complaints.

Mohandas Pai. Photo: PTI

The outgoing trustees, who did not have qualms when ISKCON-Bangalore was imposing its skewed diet plan on unsuspecting, needy children, are ironically speaking out loud now on the APF as an independent charity that has to cede greater control to independent trustees. Why is it being belatedly emphasised that the APF is a custodian of public money, and that there has to be greater transparency? It is surprising that for two decades when ISKCON-Bangalore and APF were drawing strength from each other, there was no talk of related-party transactions and quid pro quo, both literally and metaphorically speaking. The books were perhaps kept clean and separate, but there was a moral poser continuously hanging over the trustees, donors and governments on the diet. If there was a pact and a compromise between the missionaries and independents trustees on the APF board for two decades, why has it been broken now? What has caused this rupture?

An over 3,500-word letter that a member of APFs internal audit committee wrote to the trustees a few weeks ago (his name is being withheld on the request of The Wires source) has the following paragraphs that raise issues that are alarming. Here is a verbatim reproduction of some passages from the letter:

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At the end, the internal audit committee member concludes that a comprehensive forensic investigation may be necessary. The Wire has not independently verified the veracity of the charges made in the letter. After the committee offered its opinion on the lines illustrated above, it is alleged that the missionaries sought an opinion from a retired judge of the Supreme Court on the other board affiliations of Suresh Senapaty, one of the audit committee members. These enquiries were unrelated to the APF. This was apparently used as moral leverage to get him to quit the committee. This was one of the triggers for the independent trustees to get behind their corporate colleague.

After the missionary trustees reconstituted the APF on November 14, 2020, a prominent outgoing trustee wrote an angry, hard-hitting, yet a revealing mail [his name is again being withheld on request from the source] to the missionary trustees. Here are a few verbatim extracts from the letter:

The Wire has not been able to independently verify the allegations made in this letter either. Another outgoing trustee agreed with the internal audit panel report, cited a November 9, 2020 letter written by yet another independent trustee, and wrote: I do hope and pray that you get your full comeuppance soon. And more importantly, I hope these issues get investigated by credible parties to reveal the full extent of the rot over which you have presided, and the work of Akshaya Patra saved from your greedy clutches.

Among the independent trustees, Abhay Jain resigned in February 2020 citing governance issues, but interestingly none of his colleagues stood up for him at that point, although they had journeyed together for two decades. The matter heated up only subsequently, and according to one source the independent trustees never intended to resign, but it could be a case of their brinkmanship having gone terribly bad. In fact, when the controversy began, the chairman of the APF, Madhu Pandit Dasa, made a fervent appeal to one of the independent trustees on October 18, 2020. Here are verbatim extracts from Dasas letter:

Given the nature of the allegations, and the fact that public funds are involved, perhaps only a multi-agency probe may offer clarity and truth. The invocation of the divine to deliver justice, as we have seen in the letters of both missionaries and independents, can wait until the probe is completed. Or, it could happen simultaneously as one has no control over it.

Sugata Srinivasaraju is a senior journalist, author and columnist.

Link:
Explainer: The Allegations Against Akshaya Patra, and Why a Probe Is Needed - The Wire