ANNA JUGGERNAUT ROLLS ON

Anna Hazare’s fast unto death entered its sixth day today. The Gandhian cum social activist and his team are hell bent on bringing the ManMohan Singh govt on its knees on the issue of presentation of Jan Lokpal Bill in the ongoing session of parliament itself. The Ramlila Ground is packed to capacity by the supporters of Anna who are tired of widespread corruption squeezing the very essence of the nation.
Why a Jan Lokpal with teeth is abhorrent to the mandarins in the corridors of power? Why the govt unilaterally drafted a namesake Lokpal, introduced in the parliament and referred to the Parliamentary standing committee? Why they are afraid of the 73 year old Gandhian cum social activist and his mounting supporters across the country? And why the govt of Sardar ManMohan Singh incarcerated the septuagenarian and his accomplices in the wee hours of the morning of August 16 and owing to widespread condemnation decided to free the arrested the same day itself.
We have a Prime Minister who is in the saddle since 2004. It is a pity that the gentleman still laments over the lack of a magic wand to weed out corruption from the body politic while keeping tainted Ministers in the cabinet even now? How long he needs to wipe out corruption from the body politic of our country? He is adept in keeping mum on difficult questions thrown at him like his mentor cum predecessor P.V.Narasimha Rao. In the face of a volley of questions launched against the latter Mr.Rao pouted his lips without uttering a single word. Are seven years in office sufficient for a Prime Minister to root out corruption.
We are all aware pretty well that the first UPA govt (2004-2009) was composed of scam-tainted Ministers. On assuming the saddle, our Prime Minister’s first promise to the masses was that corruption at no cost would be tolerated even while keeping scam-tainted ministers in the cabinet.
I can very well list out the numbers of tainted Ministers in the UPA I and UPA II govts. The list is endless.
It is often said and known across the board that if 2010 was the year of scams 2011 is the year of cover-ups. The opposition had to put relentless pressure on the govt as also the largest court of the land to take action against scam-tainted Ministers and other officials.
Anna Hazare entered the scene when corruption across the country reached its nadir. His first fast unto death was withdrawn last time only when the govt of Mr.Singh assured Hazare of introducing a Lokpal Bill in the august office of Parliament. For that to come to fruition, a committee consisting of five Cabinet Ministers and five eminent Social activists was formed.
But the demand of the five social activists had no takers and the govt with argument that only the Parliament had the prerogative of implementing the bill and accordingly a diluted version of Lokpal was introduced in the Parliament and referred to the Standing Committee. Collective opposition including Bharatiya Janata Party and Leftists advocated for a Jan Lokpal Bill with teeth but the govt rejected the demands outright.
Upon the govt deciding to proceed unilaterally Hazare as per his pledge decided to continue his fast unto death from August 16 to force the adamant administration to agree to his team’s demands.
Hazare has called the latest struggle, the second freedom movement and it was the first time a sea of humanity went out into the streets without creating any law and order problems. Team Anna’s ‘India against Corruption’ movement could win widespread support across the country. People literally apprehended the imposition of a second Emergency, the draconian measure Indira Gandhi first iniated in 1975. Such was the ‘arrogance’, ‘political stupidity’ (Courtesy – N.Ram) on the part of the govt. That arrogance and political stupidity still persist and we are sitting with our fingers crossed over the shape of things to come. As long as India as a whole unite with Anna Hazare, govt’s all tactics of scuttling the movement would be blunted. And as long as the media is with the movement an isolated govt would be the result.