The Lawmakers' Revenge

No, This is not the title of a movie. Nor is this another attempt on my part to write a good short story. This is a simple story of a country and its lawmakers. More than 700 of them.

Saturdays are always sexy, I have believed. There is a genuine sense of relief, restiveness and calmness around this day of the week. The fact that a certain Sunday comes just after it, tilts the scale in favor of Saturday, big time. Anyways. Last Saturday was far from restive and calm for India, its people and their representatives.

Indian Parliament, for the first time since independence, sacrificed its Saturday Holiday to discuss the three contentious issues raised by Team Anna for inclusion in the much-debated Lokpal Bill. Let's not discuss what those three points were or how the events unfolded on the fateful day. We all know about it. Or at least think that we know. Media makes people believe.

Anna Hazare's intentions were never under the cloud. Nor was the significance of the cause taken up by him. However, as his agitation intensified, his demands became more and more unreasonable and methods questionable. There was a gang of activists around him, which left no stone unturned in turning the table on its head, till the very last moment. During the fag end of the agitation, uncalled for remarks were made against politicians from the dias in the Ramlila ground. A visibly drunk Om Puri's outburst was the most noticeable of all the tirades against politicians. Anna did nothing to stop it. Kiran Bedi did her own little skit to mock politicians. It was shameful to see her do so. Being an activist does not give you the right to demean politicians, who after all oversee most of the affairs of this country, howsoever lousily.

But as the saying goes, its your actions that speak louder than the words. Indian lawmakers did exactly the same by raising the bar when it was most required. They rose above the party lines and showed remarkable maturity, unity and composure in what was definitely a mini-crisis of sorts for them.

Whether it was sophisticated lawyer cum politician Arun Jaitley or a rustic grass-root level old warhorse like Sharad Yadav, they all gained some excellent brownie points against the self-appointed civil society members. The unanimous voice of the parliament condemned attempts to thwart the parliamentary procedure. By their sense of urgency, members of parliament showed that they can, in fact, carry out important business in a dignified and sensible manner.

I don't know whether Lokpal Bill will root out corruption from India or not. But, it has already made our defunct parliament functional. It was one of those few moments, when I felt proud of my country's 'parliamentary' democracy. I also hope that this good sense, urgency and togetherness of Indian Parliament continues. Saturday's proceeding was a slap on faces of those who hate politicians as if they were some undesired ice cream flavor. 


It was a revenge well-taken by that crucial leg of democracy, that we so love to trample upon. 

In the Parliament Lies Heart of the Indian Democracy

P.S.: Oh, I so loved Sharad Yadav's barbs at 'Dabba' (TV) and that 'Babu Moshay' News Anchor!

An Initiative Gone Awry

Anna Hazare and his team is back. This time, presumably, with a greater support and even more rigid demands. When Anna sat on indefinite hunger strike for the first time in April, it was largely driven by a selfless and honest ambition to root out corruption from India and demand formulation of a strong Lokpal Bill. Three months since 73-year old Gandhian rose to national limelight, the circumstances have changed a lot, plenty of political water has flown through various terrains of India.

Anti-corruption movement seems to be have been sabotaged by a self-elected civil society, half-baked political aspirants like Ramdev, and there is an increasing tendency to challenge every damn thing that the Government of India does. Credibility of the government is abysmally low and it is largely being perceived to be the most corrupt regime to have ruled India since independence. But again, one should not forget that perception is built through actions and hence, government itself is to be blamed for its misery. The Prime Minister seems to be lost in his own world, with little knowledge of whats happening in his cabinet. He is a crippled head of the government with little power to exercise and is mostly ill-advised by a bunch of sophisticated law-educated ministers. There is a serious lack of good governance and smart decision-making at the moment.

Nobody questions the sanctity of the cause taken up by Anna Hazare. I was more than willing to extend my support, in every possible way, to Anna when he first undertook fast unto death in April. But now, the current agitation seems to be a clear ego tussle between an arrogant government and a stubborn social activist. Anna's tactics are quite similar to black-mailing and set a very wrong precedent in a democratic country like India. The authority and supremacy of parliament can not be challenged, laws can not be made by 'civil society' activists. Yes, government's version of Lokpal is toothless and incompetent. But, fast unto death is not the only way to challenge the government.

But more than anybody else, it is the central government which needs to be blamed for taking a series of stupid decisions and paving way for such a logjam. What went wrong?

• Government failed to gauge the mood of the common public. There is popular anger against corruption, which is neither sponsored by US or fueled by RSS. It is a spontaneous upheaval among the masses, which is reeling under a series of infamous scams.
• Government failed to take opposition in confidence on Lokpal Issue. Anna initiated the movement against corruption in political class as a whole. By excluding opposition from all negotiations, the government made it an Anna Vs Govt Battle!
• Manish Tiwary, the young foul-mouthed spokesperson of congress crossed all limits of decency while taking on Anna. His personal tirade against the veteran activist has further infuriated the supporters as well as even those who were not very sure of supporting Anna.
• Arresting Anna Hazare even before he could move out of his house was perhaps a decision sillier than ordering that late night clean up action at Ramlila Grounds. Anna was made to look like a martyr even before he actually made any sacrifice! This move was a typical case of legal wiz-kids taking up wrong political decisions.

In totality, it does appear to be a silly deadlock. Anna Hazare must realize that the ultimate power of formulating and passing a bill lies with the parliament. He can, of course, put forward his view but that should not amount to blackmailing. He has all the legal options open. Yes, protesting is his right, the government was foolish to restrict it. Anna can move to the court and seek relief. Government, on the other hand, must shed its arrogance of power. Because, power, ultimately, is temporary. It should learn a few lessons from what Arun Jaitley said after PM's statement on Hazare's arrest in parliament yesterday.

The Greatest Misfortune of This Country is that it has a Prime Minister who simply does not know how to put forward his views. He is a terrible speaker. Even a sneezing Arun Jaitley and a Coughing Sushma Swaraj can outshine him. This naked reality was on full display yesterday in parliament, when BJP tore into PM Singh's statement. And all he did was to sit and listen!

Oratory skills are to politics what ink is to writing. Anna Hazare, even with strictly okay Hindi, is a fantastic speaker. He speaks his mind and hence, is able to connect with people immediately. Arun Jaitley is fluent both in Hindi and English, his reply to PM's statement was nothing short of historic. Manhoman Singh may not be a gifted speaker but he can at least try. He needs to take bold decisions. He can not expect a Chidambaram to rescue him all the time. These are historic times. Coming generations would judge Anna Hazare, Manmohan Singh and the others on the basis of how well they conduct themselves and put forward their sides of story in the coming days.