In my previous post, I mentioned that
So, when Anna Hazare stood up one day to fight corruption, India was stunned. Here was a man in his 70s, barely 5’5’’, wearing a Gandhi cap, declaring a war against corruption-his weapon, a previously unheard and unrealized form of protest, a bill, the Lokpal Bill. People were mesmerized by the simplicity of the whole process. There was awe about Anna that attracted people to Jantar Mantar and protest!
But on second thought, all this was way too simplistic. What were these people protesting against; the government, the Congress party or the inability of the government to draft the bill? Or they were just supporting a guy whom they thought will bring a change, without putting too much thought into what that change might be?
There is something in the history of this country that should teach that a movement, without a clear agenda for the future, can go haywire, despite an active participation of the masses. In 1974, the Gujarat Nav Nirman Movement, was a social movement against corruption. Chimanbhai Patel became the CM of Gujarat in 1973. But his reputation for corruption combined with the general undercurrent of the J.P movement, led to a widespread movement in 1974. This movement was solely led by college students and their teachers. Within a year, they managed to make Indira Gandhi ask Patel to step down, make 95 out of 167 MLAs to resign and finally getting the Assembly dissolved. For a student movement this was a huge success. But in the hindsight, it did not answer the issue of corruption at all. Nav Nirman was the buzzword for students and teachers but their value system was not different from the people they were protesting against. So things were back to square one! Patel became the CM again in 1990 with BJP’s support and the movement also saw the arrival of Narendra Modi to the political scene from the backyards of RSS and ABVP. This movement let reactionary forces to flourish!
In the present scenario, everything looks the same, may be a bit toned down and the new buzzword “Lokpal”! The point being, corruption is not just the failure of governance, it is an ideological failure. While Anna Hazare, like J. P, would have addressed the ideological issues also, but the arrival of “celebrities” is shifting the focus and diverting the attention of people. When every social figure is trying to become a social activist, the message is lost.
To take a vow to make this country corruption free is good, but a directionless pursuit is not going to lead us anywhere. With an over-zealous and politically naïve Baba Ramdev jumping on the bandwagon, the whole movement has lost its mass appeal. Baba Ramdev is a perfect example of how much wrong a person can go if he blindly follows a set path, in this case the path being, Fight by Fasting. He is also an example of how people can be misled if they don’t realize who their leader is and what are his goals. Ramdev, literally, undid whatever Anna had achieved just a month ago.
Ramdev shifted focus from the cause to himself (with the disturbing images of him clad like a woman, he probably scarred some impressionable people for life too!). Anna’s fast was an appeal for people’s support, Baba’s fast was a cry for attention. Baba Ramdev appears to be a man who thinks (??) he can correct everything that is wrong with this society. He thinks he has people’s support and even in his mindless pursuits people will stand by him.
What did the images of him being forced out of Delhi conveyed? Certainly, government’s cruelty (no saving grace there). But it also portrayed that the man, who was supposed to take on the government, was running, hiding and changing into woman’s clothes to save his life. He was in tears in the press conference. That conveyed weakness. Baba looked as if he has put foolishly himself in a whirlpool of political mishaps and now, just after a day, he desperately wanted to leave. This image was so contrary to Anna that it hurt the movement.
Things would not have been this bad had he realized that this is not his cup of tea after that night. But he continued his naïve tongue wagging to the point of making statements of raising an army against corrupt people! He seriously needs a better PR and a political advisor. Based on his embarrassingly short fast, shorter than Anna despite being a master Yoga Guru, he probably needs a physical trainer too! (P.S. Shilpa Shetty! are you listening?) This is not the first time he has made such senseless and childish remarks. Remember, when he wanted to treat Homosexuality "virus" by Yoga !
At the end of the whole drama, he looked no different than a celebrity in a wrong reality show. When the messenger becomes bigger than the message itself the cause takes the backseat. Anna never tried to grab headlines and that’s why even the government had to take him seriously. Finally, Anna had to dissociate himself from Baba to continue his movement.
Corruption is not just moral depravity; it has become a state of mind and a way of living. Corruption has always plagued the growth of developing (read: third world) countries. The choice between one’s nation’s growths vs. one’s personal growth is not an easy one to make, especially for those who are deprived of basic amenities of life. Does that justify corruption? How much ever controversial this statement may be, but this attitude of “me first-country later” does justify corruption at least at the grass root level. Can any government or any P.M. be held responsible for such attitude? No. This is not going to change regardless of the government or the coalition in helm. In our “fight against corruption”, this is the most basic point, we all have conveniently forgotten.
Lokpal Bill is no panacea for corruption. And though, I may be misconstrued at this point, read this post later and you would know that the idea is not wrong. Lokpal Bill gives unreal powers to one particular person or committee, termed the Lokpal to deal with corruption. That may create a Marshall Law sort of situation, if it goes in inept hands! I don’t oppose the bill, but we must see beyond this movement into the right execution of the bill when it becomes a law. Corruption cannot be dealt with a blanket law. We need to look beyond this agitation. Democracies are not about agitations, they are about accomplishments through the agitations.
How this society will change by a Law needs to be seen.
(Photo Courtesy: Google Images directed to NDTV.COM )
