<p>There will be widespread relief over the ending of Anna Hazare’s fast following unanimous adoption of identical ‘sense of the House resolutions’ by the two houses of parliament. The parliament agreed in principle to take into consideration his three latest demands regarding a citizen’s charter for timely delivery of public services, bringing the lower bureaucracy under the jurisdiction of the Lokpal and establishing Lokayuktas in the states. <br /><br />It was further resolved to transmit the proceedings of the debate to the standing committee “for its perusal while formulating its recommendations for a Lokpal Bill”. Final decisions will now obviously be taken by parliament itself as expeditiously as possible but without external deadlines. <br /><br />Anna broke his 12 day fast on August 28. Government and parliament acted with restraint and statesmanship. Joy on the streets was appropriate and understandable. India had won and democracy had triumphed. However, interpreting the sequence of events as a famous Anna victory and humbling of the government exhibits both hubris and humbug. Team Anna was charging at an open door. The Government had made plain that all variants of the Lok Pal Bill were or before or could be placed before the Standing Committee which would hear contesting views, incorporate such amendments as it considered fit and submit the draft consensus to Parliament. <br /><br />Team Anna climbed down on virtually every single point. Looking at the balance sheet of Anna’s demands and the outcomes it will be clear that only the Jan Lokpal Bill must be considered and passed and the official ‘Jokepal bill’ (which was burnt in public) must be withdrawn has been comprehensively rejected. So also the demand to bypass the standing committee of parliament and every aspect of corruption brought under the single umbrella of Jan Lokpal.<br /><br />The Team Anna also painted parliamentarians and politicians as criminals, corrupt, liars, and ‘gavvars.’ Neither they nor the government can be trusted. Hence demand for here and now assurances in writing to Team Anna to accept and do its bidding. It was rejected. But they failed to understand that to abolish politicians would be to abolish politics, overturn the constitution and invite mob rule and anarchy.<br /> As the pressure mounted the government and parliament agreed to offer Anna a face saving formula. This was gleefully clutched before Team Anna crumbled in consequence of mounting internal dissensions, competing egos and untenable rhetoric and emerging signs of hooliganism by Anna-capped supporters. <br /><br />Government bungling<br /><br />The cry is that Anna won and the government and parliament were worsted. Government repeatedly ‘bungled’ and the prime minister had to eat a humble pie, his authority diminished. Nothing of the kind! If the government bungled — and it did mishandle some things — much of it was because it unprecedentedly broke with due process and procedure to invite Team Anna for talks, and later negotiated with Ramdev. Official concessions whetted the ego of Team Anna which assumed an authoritarian and hectoring tone, setting conditions and deadlines or else...! This was fascist in temper and blackmail in substance. Anna’s stance was un-Gandhian, with bewildering variants of Anna-speak.<br /><br />Let it be clearly understood that the health and institutions of democratic India, for which millions struggled and sacrificed for 150 years, come first. Complaints that the right to protest were far removed from reality.<br /><br />Government leant over backwards to permit protest to the point of licensing potential suicide to the cheers and chants of thousands, amplified by unprecedented carpet coverage by the media of the rally and various sideshows. Much of this coverage and commentary was unprofessional and targeted the official line and all dissenters in provocative and unrestrained language. Child warriors, bunking school and college, were ‘interviewed’ and feted. <br /><br />Some argued that a fasting Anna only risked taking his own life for a cause. Compare this attempted suicide by an Anna strapped to a ticking time-bomb in a crowded national TV maidan with that of a suicide bomber who destroys multiple lives in an instant of madness for a ‘cause.’ Comparisons with Gandhi, the man and his times are completely misplaced. Mature democratic debate and consensus building cannot be had at the point of a gun. What is the difference between the Anna gun, the Maoist gun, the bandit gun, and the mafia gun? Are some guns better than others? <br /><br />However, everything said, one great good has emerged. People’s anger at mis-governance, fraud and unconscionable delay was catalysed around a focal issue, corruption, and a man who flagged it, Anna. People were energised to protest and demand their rights as citizens. Government and parliament, which have prevaricated on and obfuscated and relegated vital issues for years on untenable grounds have been warned that this kind of behaviour will henceforth be met head on by people’s anger. That lesson has hopefully been learned. <br /><br />What remains is to keep chivvying government and parliament to perform and to harness the popular energy unleashed by Anna for national reconstruction and reform to lend muscle and professionalism to fulfilling and monitoring many far-reaching rights-based programmes that are underway or on the anvil. This is what Anna and the government should be talking about.</p>
<p>There will be widespread relief over the ending of Anna Hazare’s fast following unanimous adoption of identical ‘sense of the House resolutions’ by the two houses of parliament. The parliament agreed in principle to take into consideration his three latest demands regarding a citizen’s charter for timely delivery of public services, bringing the lower bureaucracy under the jurisdiction of the Lokpal and establishing Lokayuktas in the states. <br /><br />It was further resolved to transmit the proceedings of the debate to the standing committee “for its perusal while formulating its recommendations for a Lokpal Bill”. Final decisions will now obviously be taken by parliament itself as expeditiously as possible but without external deadlines. <br /><br />Anna broke his 12 day fast on August 28. Government and parliament acted with restraint and statesmanship. Joy on the streets was appropriate and understandable. India had won and democracy had triumphed. However, interpreting the sequence of events as a famous Anna victory and humbling of the government exhibits both hubris and humbug. Team Anna was charging at an open door. The Government had made plain that all variants of the Lok Pal Bill were or before or could be placed before the Standing Committee which would hear contesting views, incorporate such amendments as it considered fit and submit the draft consensus to Parliament. <br /><br />Team Anna climbed down on virtually every single point. Looking at the balance sheet of Anna’s demands and the outcomes it will be clear that only the Jan Lokpal Bill must be considered and passed and the official ‘Jokepal bill’ (which was burnt in public) must be withdrawn has been comprehensively rejected. So also the demand to bypass the standing committee of parliament and every aspect of corruption brought under the single umbrella of Jan Lokpal.<br /><br />The Team Anna also painted parliamentarians and politicians as criminals, corrupt, liars, and ‘gavvars.’ Neither they nor the government can be trusted. Hence demand for here and now assurances in writing to Team Anna to accept and do its bidding. It was rejected. But they failed to understand that to abolish politicians would be to abolish politics, overturn the constitution and invite mob rule and anarchy.<br /> As the pressure mounted the government and parliament agreed to offer Anna a face saving formula. This was gleefully clutched before Team Anna crumbled in consequence of mounting internal dissensions, competing egos and untenable rhetoric and emerging signs of hooliganism by Anna-capped supporters. <br /><br />Government bungling<br /><br />The cry is that Anna won and the government and parliament were worsted. Government repeatedly ‘bungled’ and the prime minister had to eat a humble pie, his authority diminished. Nothing of the kind! If the government bungled — and it did mishandle some things — much of it was because it unprecedentedly broke with due process and procedure to invite Team Anna for talks, and later negotiated with Ramdev. Official concessions whetted the ego of Team Anna which assumed an authoritarian and hectoring tone, setting conditions and deadlines or else...! This was fascist in temper and blackmail in substance. Anna’s stance was un-Gandhian, with bewildering variants of Anna-speak.<br /><br />Let it be clearly understood that the health and institutions of democratic India, for which millions struggled and sacrificed for 150 years, come first. Complaints that the right to protest were far removed from reality.<br /><br />Government leant over backwards to permit protest to the point of licensing potential suicide to the cheers and chants of thousands, amplified by unprecedented carpet coverage by the media of the rally and various sideshows. Much of this coverage and commentary was unprofessional and targeted the official line and all dissenters in provocative and unrestrained language. Child warriors, bunking school and college, were ‘interviewed’ and feted. <br /><br />Some argued that a fasting Anna only risked taking his own life for a cause. Compare this attempted suicide by an Anna strapped to a ticking time-bomb in a crowded national TV maidan with that of a suicide bomber who destroys multiple lives in an instant of madness for a ‘cause.’ Comparisons with Gandhi, the man and his times are completely misplaced. Mature democratic debate and consensus building cannot be had at the point of a gun. What is the difference between the Anna gun, the Maoist gun, the bandit gun, and the mafia gun? Are some guns better than others? <br /><br />However, everything said, one great good has emerged. People’s anger at mis-governance, fraud and unconscionable delay was catalysed around a focal issue, corruption, and a man who flagged it, Anna. People were energised to protest and demand their rights as citizens. Government and parliament, which have prevaricated on and obfuscated and relegated vital issues for years on untenable grounds have been warned that this kind of behaviour will henceforth be met head on by people’s anger. That lesson has hopefully been learned. <br /><br />What remains is to keep chivvying government and parliament to perform and to harness the popular energy unleashed by Anna for national reconstruction and reform to lend muscle and professionalism to fulfilling and monitoring many far-reaching rights-based programmes that are underway or on the anvil. This is what Anna and the government should be talking about.</p>