I am not Anna!

At the risk of heresy, let me say this in the very beginning- I am not with team Anna. I am a bitter critic of the UPA government, but it would be erroneous to join the so called 'civil society' camp and point fingers at the government for all our collective problems. That would also mean that the middle class is clean and has not encouraged the culture of corruption. This is clearly not the case.

Fasting for a cause is unthinkable in any other modern day democracy. What is stopping people from different castes from pouring into the national capital and fasting untill their demands are met? Since when did they start framing laws in fasting grounds and not the hallowed walls of the national parliament?  If someone chooses to fast untill death, well, then let them and don't cringe.


There is an established system to tackle problems. What is taking place in the streets of New Delhi and other cities in the country (mind you not smaller towns or rural India) is not a symbolic revolution as the TV channles describe it. It is one big party parade and noone wants to miss it. 

I must admit I went to India Gate also. But not to hold a candle and express solidarity. I strolled along the power corridors of Delhi to observe the misplaced sense of patriotism people displayed. I sat down and watched angry crowds venting  their frustation and shouting hilarious slogans. The funniest was 'Woh Sarkar Nikami Hai, Sonia Jiski Mummy Hai' (a government led by Sonia Gandhi is inept).

Anna Hazare is a like a petulant child crying out loud for his lollipop, which in this case is the lokpal bill. Kiran Bedi is his sycophantic follower who cannot say anything substantive beyond 'Anna Ji' and spew venom on the only scapegoat these days; the UPA. Her arguments are flimsy just like the case for a strong lokpal bill. But this is another debate, and for the legal luminaries to quibble over.

Anna's posture is very confrontational. The entire discourse is laden with bizarre references to a second freedom struggle as though only the government is the culprit. The self righteous and equally guilty middle class, in his view, has not contributed to the unbridled rise in the level of corruption. Now this is a flawed premise.

The government has also joined the list of jokers. The whole saga looks quite farcical and outright ludicrous. First the arrest then the release. A long list of stringent conditions before the authorities acquiesced. I know the UPA is castrated when it comes to adopting a tough stance on terrorism. But the past few days have proved otherwise.

Owing to the public outcry a prostrate government really had no choice but to bend. The UPA is already struggling to handle a litany of other problems, but this could certainly have been dealt in more civilsed manner. In very simple words, the government has made a mockery of this episode, and tarnished its legitimacy. 

The Anna camp has garnered unprecedent support, but as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh puts it, their path is misconceived. And rightely so. Let's hope the 'civil society' camp does not impose their version of the bill. This will only threaten parliamentary democracy in the long run.

Ishaan Saxena is a New Delhi based political commentator.