Another fast, another upsurge in the popular sentiment against corruption! Aided by almost 24*7 ‘live telecast’ on umpteen numbers of TV channels. Catalyzed by unforeseen public support to a 74-year old ex-army Gandhian activist, Kisan Baburao alias Anna Hazare.
It is all unprecedented, indeed. The kind of participation by public at large is unseen and unheard of, at -least in last two decades, if not after 75-77 JP movement.
Congress in its true over confident way first tried to blacken the face of the movement with its amateurish first time MP and spokesperson Manish Tewari calling Anna Hazare, an epitome of corruption from head-to-toe! Some Congress members invented the eternal 'foreign hand' in this movement, hinting at support by US!
Going by the way, Congress leaders are commenting, one feels sometime soon, people will pick them all and dump them in a mental hospital. The statements made by Sibbal, Chidambaram and others backfired. All along the Government and the Congress leaders under estimated the public response.
The next blunder was to arrest Anna Hazare in the early hours and putting him in Tihar! He was awarded a judicial custody of 14 days. Apparently Anna was a threat to the society and in few hours the u-turn followed!
However, Anna Hazare proved to be far more shrewd and intelligent. His rustic common sense and political moves outmaneuvered the entire ruling class. He not only got all his demands met, he went out of Tihar, when he wanted, to a grand welcome by thousands of people.
At the moment this is a week, since he started his fast. All the eyes are glued to TV to see what happens next.
Congress is almost clueless except for some sort of back channel talks by a senior Maharashtra Government official and Bhayuu Maharaj, Indore based spiritual Guru, who is close to all major political players in Maharashtra.
Today the situation is such that people will do what Anna Hazare says. India did not have ‘moral and popular’ leadership in last so many years. The momentum must not fizzle out. However what I feel is far more important is that Anna has a historic opportunity to seize.
He can actually tell people to observe honesty and sincerity in their day-to-day life. He can call on people not to give the bribe in the first place. And howsoever all love to hate political methods; he can tell people to vote and elect honest people! Now this is a tall order.
