Anna has not lost. He has gained in sympathy
Sunday, May 22, 2022
  • Circulation
  • Advertise
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
Organiser
  • ‌
  • Bharat
  • World
  • Editorial
  • Analysis
  • Opinion
  • Defence
  • Sports
  • Business
  • More
    • RSS in News
    • Special Report
    • Culture
    • Sci & Tech
    • Entertainment
    • Education
    • Books
    • Interviews
    • Travel
    • Health
    • Obituary
SUBSCRIBE
No Result
View All Result
Organiser
  • ‌
  • Bharat
  • World
  • Editorial
  • Analysis
  • Opinion
  • Defence
  • Sports
  • Business
  • More
    • RSS in News
    • Special Report
    • Culture
    • Sci & Tech
    • Entertainment
    • Education
    • Books
    • Interviews
    • Travel
    • Health
    • Obituary
No Result
View All Result
Organiser
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Bharat
  • World
  • Editorial
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Culture
  • Defence
  • RSS in News
  • Subscribe
Home General

Anna has not lost. He has gained in sympathy

Archive Manager by Archive Manager
Jan 1, 2012, 12:00 am IST
in General
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterTelegramEmail

Anna fast in Mumbai

Anna fast in Mumbai

By Aditya Pradhan


The quick recall of Anna Hazare’s fast in Mumbai has many reasons, but least of them are the ones touted by media about the Lokpal’s half-the-battle-won prophesy. Though the preparations for the agitation at the MMRDA Ground in the expansive Bandra-Kurla Complex were well done, and the speeches made by Team Anna sharp and cogent, the turnout of people was not as much as it was expected. There were about 10,000 people in all, though such protests in Mumbai always have a tendency to accommodate a floating population.

In the recent past corporate India has been edgy with so many financial scandals coming too close for comfort. And many industry leaders were openly propagating a roll back of protests to the sanguine pre-Lokpal situation. The splurge of government ads on TV channels right from inane fertiliser consumption to North East tourism to family planning put paid to any attempt by media houses to regain vigor in Anna Hazare campaign.

Ever since the names of Swiss Bank account holders have been doing rounds in private conversations in the corporate world, the news of Naresh Goyal, founder-promoter of Jet Airways, receiving two notices from Income Tax authorities over a Swiss bank account in the name of Tail Winds, was the last straw to break the camel’s back. Tail Winds is the Isle of Man-based parent of Jet Airways which owns 79.99 per cent of the airline.

The no-show at Mumbai for Anna Hazare also reaffirmed the widely held belief that the metro city has little stomach for political and social movements. After the vicious attack by Ajmal Kasab and company on November 26, 2008 the surging college student crowd at a protest rally at Gateway of India heralded the rising public opinion against the government’s bad governance and its pussy-footing foreign policy. But the abysmal turnout of people in the following state elections confirmed the indifference of the people towards taking things to logical conclusions.

Many in the media have also highlighted the ‘politicisation’ of Team Anna during Hisar bi-elections, which seemed to have taken away the sheen. Team Anna had vociferously taken a stand against the Congress at Hisar for having scuttled an effective Lokpal Bill. The argument of ‘politicisation’of the anti-corruption movement is as specious as it can get. Anna Hazare has been consistently talking about the root cause of corruption that lies in politics and the existing Parliament democracy system. So the natural corollary would be to blame the government in power for watering down the Lokpal Bill. Arvind Kejriwal goes to the extent of saying that an effective Lokpal Bill cannot come into existence because the Congress Party high-command of Sonia and her son Rahul Gandhi are beneficiary of corruption in the party and the political system. The desperation of the Congress Party to make sure Lokpal Bill does not stand the test of time emanates from fear that a strong Lokpal will ultimately subsume the Congress, according to Arvind Kejriwal. No one in the past has said it so succinctly that the CBI is used as a tool for political games played against unwieldy but corrupt supporters of the government like Mayawati and Lalu Prasad Yadav.

The moot point is why should the anti-corruption movement be apolitical and sway in a vacuum when the game is all about politics and politicians? Also, politics is the special-purpose-vehicle in a thriving democracy to bring about change. So many social reformers like Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar had successfully taken to politics to achieve their goal. Did anyone ask social reformers to refrain from politicising their cause?

At MMRDA Ground in Mumbai Anna Hazare also mentioned the complicity of Union Home Minister P Chidambaram in stifling the protest against corruption. In Bangalore and Delhi Anna Hazare had said that the Union Home Minister would have been in jail if there was a strong Lokpal Bill to curb corruption at high places. Anna Hazare reveals in his criticism of the Prime Minister saying that Dr Manmohan Singh is useless as he simply does not assert himself in the decisions-making process of the government. The response of the Congress Party to all these allegations has been a deafening silence. And surprisingly, the news media has failed to ask these pertinent questions in national debates.

Though there could be some ennui, weariness and fatigue in the protests against corruption, it is early to say if the movement is fizzling out. For all one knows it could be that the winter is spoiling the show.

ShareTweetSendShareSend
Previous News

Barefoot Kalyan Ashram youth win International Midnight Marathon

Next News

No reservations in Lokpal please!

Related News

Turkey blackmails NATO, being only country benefiting from the Ukraine war

Turkey blackmails NATO, being only country benefiting from the Ukraine war

Jayee Rajguru: The Man who Roused Spirit of Selfhood

Jayee Rajguru: The Man who Roused Spirit of Selfhood

War on Inflation Must Continue

War on Inflation Must Continue

Bharat Has Arrived

Bharat Has Arrived

Administration demolishes 5 houses after police station set on fire in Assam

Administration demolishes 5 houses after police station set on fire in Assam

Calcutta High Court Asks EC To Take Action Against TMC Leader Alo Rani Sarkar, A Bangladeshi Citizen

Calcutta High Court Asks EC To Take Action Against TMC Leader Alo Rani Sarkar, A Bangladeshi Citizen

Comments

The comments posted here/below/in the given space are not on behalf of Organiser. The person posting the comment will be in sole ownership of its responsibility. According to the central government's IT rules, obscene or offensive statement made against a person, religion, community or nation is a punishable offense, and legal action would be taken against people who indulge in such activities.

Latest News

Turkey blackmails NATO, being only country benefiting from the Ukraine war

Turkey blackmails NATO, being only country benefiting from the Ukraine war

Jayee Rajguru: The Man who Roused Spirit of Selfhood

Jayee Rajguru: The Man who Roused Spirit of Selfhood

War on Inflation Must Continue

War on Inflation Must Continue

Bharat Has Arrived

Bharat Has Arrived

Administration demolishes 5 houses after police station set on fire in Assam

Administration demolishes 5 houses after police station set on fire in Assam

Calcutta High Court Asks EC To Take Action Against TMC Leader Alo Rani Sarkar, A Bangladeshi Citizen

Calcutta High Court Asks EC To Take Action Against TMC Leader Alo Rani Sarkar, A Bangladeshi Citizen

After fuel prices cut, Imran Khan praises India for buying discounted Russian oil despite US pressure

After fuel prices cut, Imran Khan praises India for buying discounted Russian oil despite US pressure

Left in Lurch

Left in Lurch

Prime Minister Narendra Modi lauds Kidambi Srikanth for leading Team India to historic Thomas Cup win

Prime Minister Narendra Modi lauds Kidambi Srikanth for leading Team India to historic Thomas Cup win

Raj Thackeray to hold rally in Pune today amid heavy deployment of police

Raj Thackeray to hold rally in Pune today amid heavy deployment of police

  • Circulation
  • Advertise
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy

© Bharat Prakashan (Delhi) Limited.
Tech-enabled by Ananthapuri Technologies

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Bharat
  • World
  • Editorial
  • Analysis
  • Opinion
  • Defence
  • Culture
  • Sports
  • Business
  • RSS in News
  • Special Report
  • Sci & Tech
  • Entertainment
  • Education
  • Books
  • Interviews
  • Travel
  • Health
  • Obituary
  • Subscribe
  • About Us
  • Advertise
  • Circulation
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy

© Bharat Prakashan (Delhi) Limited.
Tech-enabled by Ananthapuri Technologies