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!