The ongoing hyper sensitive and at times hysterical coverage of Anna Hazare’s crusade for a strong Lokpal Bill has been giving sleepless nights to the government. The Congress wouldn’t have thought that they would be at the receiving end from a bunch of people riding on the popularity of a simple idealist Gandhian. The UPA-II is itself to blame for the precarious situation it has got into by mishandling an issue which they had somewhat successfully smothered even after succumbing to Team Anna’s demands in April earlier this year.
No Indian government has been reduced to such a laughing stock. No doubt that anti-emergency movement led by Jaiprakash Narayan was a much bigger movement but even then the government had not been humiliated this way. No government has acted as whimsically either. First they denied Anna Hazare a venue for protest, and then they arrested him and soon had to play a good host when Anna refused to leave the jail.
People in large numbers are coming out in support of Anna Hazare. His two-day stay at the Tihar jail is being seen as a big sacrifice by a humble Gandhian for the betterment of the country. Not only genuine protestors against corruption but many who have a slightest grudge against the Congress has jumped into the movement, grabbing the opportunity with both hands.
What is surprising is that the Congress party has miserably failed to learn any lesson from the mistake it made earlier. Having suffered a setback in April by the hands of the same people on the same issue, the people at the helm in the Congress acted in arrogance. Especially “shrewd lawyers,” Kapil Sibal and Manish Tiwari, tried their best to malign the image of Anna and company. While Kapil Sibal said “if we can reach out we can also rein in”, after the failure of the joint drafting committee, Manish Tiwari made a remark about Anna which angered Anna and his supporters the most. As expected Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Rahul Gandhi have either nothing or little to “comment.”
On the other hand the BJP is making the most of the situation by supporting Anna and launching a scathing attack on the ruling part. Even BS Yedyurappa has extended his support to the Anna Hazare movement against corruption.
. It’s amazing how Anna Hazare has been able to galvanize massive public support against a malaise as filthy and deplorable as corruption which is all pervasive in India
So far the Anna Hazare led movement has been akin to a bollywood movie. It’s got everything except an item song. Government has failed pathetically to counter Anna. It seems as it happened in April this year, the government would wait for Anna’s health to deteriorate and let more and more people join his campaign making it a real mass movement. The “wise” people then would concede to his demands with a few conditions.
The government’s draft of the Lokpal bill is indeed a cruel joke, however, even the Jan Lokpal bill can not be accepted in its present form.
Although Anna Hazare’s integrity can’t be questioned yet it would be a mistake to support the Jan Lokpal Bill as it is. Their stubbornness to get the bill passed in this session of the Parliament is also beyond comprehension. Team Anna, which includes Arvind Kejriwal, Kiran Bedi, Prashant Bhushan among others say that this bill is going to wipe out 60 per cent corruption from the country. They are reluctant on any deliberations on the bill saying the government did not act earnestly during joint- drafting committee meetings. The Jan Lokpal Bill leaves nothing outside its ambit and acts as a super cop who could investigate anyone, anytime on anyone’s request. Further, the Bill if enacted would make the institution of Lokpal an independent authority with around 20,000 personnel. How would you ensure these 20 thousand people will not put their integrity at stake?
The ongoing protest at the Ramlila ground in Delhi has garnered massive support from common people against corruption and Anna Hazare should be appreciated for this, however, we must acknowledge the fact that such a path breaking law which would shape the future of this country needs a thorough and refined consultation among political parties and Anna and his supporters with genuine effort from the political class. If the politicians fail to do so, only they would be responsible for jeopardizing our Democracy.
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