When Anna Hazare started his movement for Jan Lokpal Bill in May, followed by Ramdev’s movement against Black Money, the alacrity and yet the difference and indecision with which the central government handled these was perplexing. A step forward and two steps backward can best sum up the situation. It earned the central government in general and the Congress party in particular a very bad name and image.
Few things were absolutely amazing in the entire episode. Hazare and his cohorts were relentlessly attacking Congress but were absolutely quiet and even sympathetic towards other UPA partners and brazenly corrupt governments in the states. The Jan Lokpal Bill was being touted as a panacea against
Corruption, but corruption of NGOs, corruption in private sector which is now dominant part of Indian economy and political landscape went unaddressed. Ramdev talked about black money being brought from outside the country but was silent about black money and black economy with in the country.
The Hissar election, Anna’s mauna vrata and his subsequent utterances have now given away everything and explain the hesitation and diffidence of Congress in dilly-dallying and even watering down the Jan Lokpall Bill. It is now clear like daylight that Hazare cohorts are not fighting a case against corruption. Instead, they are not only aiming to elbow out Congress from the political stage at the centre and occupy the space themselves but also that Hazare knows this and is a willing player. If one keeps this in mind, the myriad actions of Team Anna are explained without any contradiction. Firstly they have been trying to project secular credentials, to the extent that instead of thanking RSS/BJP and other organizations for lending support to the movement, there has a conscious effort to distance from the combine. If it was a fight against corruption, then all support should be welcomed. Kejriwal took an idealistic stance when members of the team were charged with irregularities and said, “ Even if they are corrupt, do they lose their right to demand a corruption free government?”. Absolutely right Mr.Kejriwal. By the same logic RSS/BJP have a right to demand for a corruption free government and they may support any agitation for that end. Jai Prakash Narayan was never ashamed of the support of RSS/BJP in his agitation. Why should Anna and Team be defensive and apprehensive about this support? But in the present case the Team wants to occupy the political space which is occupied by Congress. This space is perceived to be anti RSS/BJP etc. and therefore, a right stance is necessary so that the hole could be promptly and properly occupied as and when it becomes vacant.
This team, behaving like a political party, never took kindly to the allegations of irregularity against its members. The way they were defended and those who made allegations riled against and attacked, was very similar to BJP defending its CMs or Congress defending its members. The team and especially the core had visions of political power and towards that end the team needed to stick together. However, the issue of corruption, even if being used only as rhetoric, had attracted many sincere non-politically motivated persons to the agitation. Soon they were disillusioned and exposed the real intentions of the core.
The funding of the agitation, the selection of the venue, the media hype all become obvious and clear in the light of political intents. Two prominent members of the team are known to believe that right publicity can be managed only at the National Capital. Funds were managed and used exactly the way most political parties in India manage and use. The sarcastic comment of Digvijay Singh “Na Khatta Na Bahi, jo Kejriwal bole wo sahi” sticks. Source of funds is unclear and fudged. In India the end and means theory of Gandhi cannot be expected to be held high by people with political dreams.
The internecine fights in the core team, elbowing out of one another, contradictory statements, statements and counter- statements, all indicate a lurking political dream. And Congress men must have scented it right in the beginning. Politicians are like women, always suspicious and always alert to the eye that falls on them. It is the character of the Congress that made its response to the challenge so tepid, confused and uncertain that many felt it did not want to take any action against corruption as it is itself mired in corruption. Hissar and post-maunvrat developments have made it clear that the issue is neither corruption nor Jan Lokpal Bill but a Lokpal Bill exactly as drafted by the team, so that when passed the team may emerge as stronger than the Parliament and all political parties and then can claim the political center stage occupied by Congress. Another very important fall out of Hissar is that it is absolutely clear that Truth, the most loved attribute Gandhi preached, is a casualty in Hazare camp also. Every sane person knows that in Hissar Congress did not stand a chance; it was at the very third place on day one but Kejriwal and later Hazare trumpeted it as their success. Remember, Congress did not win this seat even when it swept all other seats in the state of Haryana in 2009 and was in the third place even then.
Now that it is obvious that Team Anna is out to occupy the political space now occupied by Congress, it becomes pertinent to examine the team’s credentials, its political agenda and the future course of the agitation. Most of the members of the ‘Core Team’ have come under attack from the Congress and they have not come out clean and their credibility has suffered. All eyes shall henceforth be on Anna alone. The euphoria and hype that was created by the team in the name of colored the vision of the young and not-so-young supporters of the agitation and did not let the Sawant Commision Report cast a cloud on Gandhian, Truthful Anna. But much water has flown down the Ganges since. The political agenda has come out in the open and hence even Hazare shall be scrutinized intensely and minutely. Originally the epithet of ‘social reformer’ did not cause problems because people felt that corruption is a big issue and probably cannot be tackled except through legislation and without the help of government. But people do realize that in politics the issue lies somewhere else than where it is made out to be. Here people now know that the issue is now political power and not corruption. They shall, therefore, be inclined to examine the claim of Social Reformer and his past action and their results. Anna unfortunately does not come out brilliantly in this scrutiny. Firstly, a Social Reformer does not send people to jail in punishment. Secondly, Anna’s fight of 40 years against corruption n Maharashtra does not inspire confidence. It is an open secret that Mumbai and Pune specifically and Maharashtra generally attract black money from all over the country. The political skyline of Maharashtra is dotted with largest number of scandals, tainted politicians. Anna and team may generate heat against Sharad Pawar in New Delhi but they have been absolutely ineffective in Maharashtra. Further, Anna lacks the quality of leadership required in a person who intends leading a nation like India, diverse in its bearings, languages, culture and united only in its aspirations and dreams. Though his followers and media call him Gandhian, he lacks the simplicity, kindness, forgiveness and truthfulness of Mahatma. I wonder if Gandhi would have defended his supporters like Anna did. The latter’s claims of pan-India vision also do not stand scrutiny. ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’ and ‘Vande Mataram’ notwithstanding, the regionalistic chaos created by Shiv Sena -Raj Thackeray and gangs was never opposed by Hazare and his men. It was much later that only lip service was paid so that the support in Hindi-Heartland may not evaporate. Anna’s preference for Deshmukh, his intemperate utterance against central ministers, PM etc., does not bring him out as a visionary, balanced and tolerant leader needed by nation the size of India.
Anna has claimed in his post maun-vrata utterances that the campaign against Congress has been carried out with his permission and knowledge. He and his team have been saying that all other political parties have supported the Jan Lokpal Bill and Congress is not in favor of Jan Lokpal Bill and they are opposing Congress only due to this reason. If Congress passes Jan Lokpal Bill, they will not oppose Congress. This claim does not cut ice. Congress is in minority in Parliament. If all other parties unite, the bill can be introduced by any member and passed in Parliament causing absolute embarrassment to Congress which may result in fall of the ‘Corrupt Government’ and would not need campaigning in electoral battles. The fact is, and Anna and his friends know it, most of the political parties do not support Jan Lokpal Bill as proposed by Anna. The Bill is a double edged sword. If passed, the Anna brigade could rightly claim to be more powerful than Parliament, the Political System and the Congress and would occupy center stage replacing Congress. If not passed, it is a tool to beat Congress with, to elbow out the later and occupy the political space so vacated. Anna’s claim is thus, political in nature and not in genre of Gandhian truthfulness. The Lokayukta Bill in Bihar is not in sync with the Jan Lokpal Bill which indicates the unwillingness of JD(U) to go the whole hog with Hazare clan. Thus the character, temper and meter of Team Anna is one of Power Politics and not of social reform or nation building which may only be incidental but not primary.
The challenge shall be met by political parties, especially the Congress in a political way only. While members and supporters of UPA will attack the team from outside, Congress will, and should, scrutinize past and present of Team Anna and expose their weakness and failings in order to discredit them. Notice from IT department to Kejriwal and Digvijay Singh’s allegations against members are merely beginning. A deeper scrutiny will have to be and will be done. The NGOs run by team members, their source of finance, spending, all shall be scrutinized. There are already allegations of foreign funds having come to these NGOs. A very important question arises – “Can an organization receiving funds from a foreign source be allowed to run an agitation against a lawfully established government?” The government shall be well within its rights – and this is also its duty to enquire and prosecute those who misuse the funds and violate the laws. The Congress party will attack the team more vigorously in future branding many such activities as anti-national. The nation will have to consider this charge carefully and decide whether groups supported and funded by foreign agencies should be taken on their face value and sympathized with in their efforts to destabilize the lawful government. The overt foreign funds may be minuscule, but there may be covert funding as well. Also, this may only be test run. Should India become another Indonesia, Egypt or Libya? This question of fund and foreign funds also brings down Team Anna from its high moral pedestal and places it at par with other politicians and political parties.
In this struggle for political space, the agitation against corruption and Jan Lokpal Bill is bound to suffer, become weaker, become political and lose its apolitical touch which had initially attracted people from diverse fields towards it. Although, the Congress is not likely to introduce the Jan Lokpal Bill of the team in the Parliament, even if it does the chance of its getting support from other political parties is minimal. Congress will bring in its own versions of bill and Anna will keep fighting for his place in India Political System.
This will sadden the hearts of not only the ardent supporters of the agitation but also millions and millions who had viewed this agitation as genuine apolitical effort to bring down corruption and to control black money. The two issues are important and control and will engage the attention of masses. The government and the Congress will do well to address these issues urgently and effectively so that a perceptible change in the pattern of administration emerges. Failing this there will always be a scope for a non political group emerging and taking the leadership genuinely and properly. Such a group may not be in an obvious hurry like Team Anna and may upset the UPA applecart forever.
Why Congress was willing to deal with Ramdev and jittery of Anna from the very beginning baffles many. The answer is simple. While Ramdev with his Rashtriya Swabhiman Party and political ambitions was easy to understand and easy to accommodate, the Team with its hidden political ambition and moralistic approach was difficult to understand, more difficult to explain, and still more difficult to accommodate. This made them dangerous. Yet Congress tried to win over the team initially by offering them more than what a political party should offer in a parliamentary democracy. This did not suit the political ambition of the team. The resulting intransigence, stubbornness and mud-slinging exposed team’s intents too early for a comprehensive victory.
During the entire agitation, the reporting by most of the news channels lacked balance and objectivity and some in print media were also not far behind. This was commented upon by neutral observers also. The media’s claim of self regulation has become weak and although the government may not act against them immediately, it would definitely keep a critical eye on the activities of media, its ownership structure, its affiliations and commitments and act at an appropriate time. This action to bring media under scanner, I suspect, will come whatever dispensation comes to power in New Delhi.
……………………………
