Reach a compromise at once
Anna Hazare’s indefinite fast 10th day and it spells many dangers.
The Indian government is in a flip-flop mode. The Prime Minister is plainly confused and he says many things in the last few days and what he says in not clearing the air and break the deadlock.
What the government spokesmen, Cabinet ministers and the party spokesmen are saying amounts to nothing.
The mood of the Indian public, the mass of youngsters, middle class men and women and the mood as it is gathering almost everyday, the crowds are swelling and it looks that the dithering of the ministers is only adding fuel to the spirit of rebellion in the country.
Without mincing words, certain things, certain trends can be noticed and predicted too.
The men and women who occupy the top seats of power are those who never got any genuine mass support.
The Congress party is now reduced to four or five people. Why, even the government is run by only a few men and women, as Anna Hazare said for the loud cheers of the mass of his supporters, it is caucus of four or five that is ruling the country.
The allies of the UPA, notably, the Trinamul Congress and the DMK have gone out of the UPA as they have not supported the government on Anna’s fast and the resolution of the deadlock.
The NCP and other allies also are not with the Congress party and the government on the Anna issue.
Now, the all party meet also said unanimously that the government must withdraw the Government Lokpal Bill.
But the government is adamant. In a democracy, in a Parliamentary democracy, yes, Parliament is supreme. Who denies that?
No one from the Anna camp.
The rather academic talk of sending Anna’s draft to the Standing Committee of Parliament for consideration doesn’t cut much ice with any one section, excpet for a few lawyers turned politicians or apologists.
We have seen many instances when bills are passed in a minute or two! Parliament has all the powers to amend any rules to withdraw bills and we have seen how many bills are passed within minutes, the SEZ bill was passed, someone said within a few minutes.
So, what is so great about sending the Anna Team Jan Lokpal Bill to the Standing Committee? Nothing. It is sophistry or semantics!
Popular Will is a much more sacrosanct will and so doesn’t misread history.
Don’t be on the wrong side of history, we tell the government! Only friends warn, the enemy strikes, remember!
But what the government doesn’t realise is that in a democracy there have always been agitations, there have been fall of governments, there have been even untoward incidents, police firing, deaths and even much worse consequences.
The Delhi-based, cocooned, urban centric Prime Minister, a bureaucrat and he first of all never got elected, never got any mass endorsement; the irony of the Indian democratic setup now is that no one at the top is given to talking or sharing the public mood. Sonia Gandhi is away, Rahul Gandhi is terrific for his dead silence and for his age he must be brimming with energy and active roles in his God-given opportunity but he is dead mumm. This spells danger not just for the party he heads but for the country which turts him.
Now as for the government functionaries, neither the President seem to be acting, openly or in private or the Prime Minister.
What the hell, the Prime Minister is really thinking.
Is he a student of Parliamentary history?
There is a long list of popular agitations even in UK and there have been dramatic changes, resignations and even banishment from power of highly popular leaders of Parliament. From Robert Peel in England to Winston Churchill.
There is no might force besides the force of public opinion. In France, from 1789 to 1968 when the mighty Degaulle was deposed once the student agitation took ugly turns.
So, even now, there is this danger.
Even the otherwise strong Indira Gandhi was sent to jail by the otherwise in cohesive Janata dispensation, right?
She was unseated after her Emergency adventures, right?
V.P.Singh showed what the otherwise massive public endorsement of Rajiv Gandhi led to, right?
So, there is no reason to doubt even now, right at the moment what the fate of this government will be within the next twenty four hours.
The government had already lost face on the way it handled Anna Hazare’s arrest and jailing him in the infamous Tihar jail, along with the very same criminals who were tainted of high corruption. It was a sad irony indeed, for Dr.Manmohan Singh to find himself in this tragic situation.
But the man seems to be unmoved, irony indeed!
What is wisdom in his behaviour? Nothing of the sort!
The first government bill included the Prime Minister in the Lokpal Bill. So, why stand on false prestige for the sake of prestige.
Where is the question of anyone’s prestige in a government that faces such a sudden mass opposition?
It is time a compromise is struck at the very earliest.
There is no other way.
Anna Team as of now seems in a more listening mood than the government.
Please don’t waste any further time.
A compromise, withdraw the government bill, introduce a different draft that incorporates the Anna Team draft, after all the two drafts were drafted by the very same team that afterwards went off in appositive directions.
There is no other way for the government except to reach a speedy compromise.
Otherwise unforeseen consequences are the only outcome. God forbid such a tragic sceanrio. Or, scenarios, that could be anything to the toppling of the government to other ugly consequences.
Congress party is weak at the moment. The Congress is already at a standstill. So, it is only wise and wisdom someone says to the AICC not to stand or give false advice and in the process perish!
There is enough history even within our own past 65 years that give enough warnings.
So, please act. Suddenly, the Finance Minister, Pranab Mukerjee seems to have lost his magic touch. He should not have come out with a negative outcome. He is the wisest, we all think and so he please not let us not down!
V.Isvarmurti