Congress at wit's end - People's power
http://www.deccanherald.com/content/184680/peoples-power.html#.Tk5XAa2c6Tk.emailBy Kuldip Nayar
One can see the demand for Lokpal translating itself into a demand for
the resignation of the UPA government.
When Gandhian Jayaprakash Narayan was arrested by Indira Gandhi after
the imposition of the Emergency (1975-77), he cited a Sanskrit saying:
'Vinasha kale vipareeta buddhi,' meaning that when the ruler faces bad
times, his thinking also gets warped. Anna Hazare, hitherto an
unnoticed leader from Maharashtra, was arrested at Delhi because he
had inspired a movement to have a Lokpal to eliminate corruption in
the country.
He should have also quoted JP's words because the government flip-
flopped, first arresting him in the morning and then offering to
release him in the evening. It is another matter that he has refused
to come out of jail on conditions.
The Manmohan Singh government has made a fool of itself. First, it
asks the obliging commissioner of police (CP) B K Gupta to arrest Anna
Hazare and tells the world that it was police's doing. Then the
government or its core group decides to release Hazare.
The scene by then seems to have shifted to the Congress headquarters
where the prime minister was also present. Here Rahul Gandhi is the
boss in the absence of his mother Sonia Gandhi. He meets the prime
minister and the decision to release Hazare is apparently taken. Once
again the poor CP is made a scapegoat for having gone wrong on the
arrest. He too retraces his steps by offering Hazare a conditional
release.
The role of a local magistrate is comical. He follows the CP's path
under pressure. He first sends Hazare to judicial custody for seven
days. There is no law under which he could act against a person who
says he would go on fast. It is a pity that the Delhi high court does
not act suo moto to quash the order which had made a mockery of the
judiciary. The same magistrate revokes the order, again under
pressure.
The entire exercise has made me sit up and notice how the police and
the judiciary act on commands. This is exactly what happened during
the emergency. Whatever Mrs Gandhi-Sanjay Gandhi wished was
implemented, overriding all rules and regulations and precedents.
Significantly, like today the Congress was ruling at the Centre at
that time. Then the government functionaries acted because the
emergency had suspended the constitution and therefore people had no
recourse. This time they are doing so without the emergency. They have
got used to unconstitutional governance to such an extent that they
have become a willing tool of tyranny imposed by political masters.
Boomerang effect
I fear the worst scenario for the ruling Congress which has become
arrogant and has cut itself off from the people. I can see the demand
for Lokpal translating itself into a demand for the resignation of the
Manmohan Singh government. It is beginning to happen sooner than
expected. The stock of the government already battered after the
disclosures of numerous scams running into hundreds of thousands of
dollars has gone down still further. Whatever it does is going to
boomerang on it.
The reason why I think a mid-term election is inevitable is because
the Hazare movement has taken the shape of people's movement. The
Lokpal bill has been put aside and the resentment against the
government is being ventilated through the denunciation of rulers. The
core group of ministers may argue that the Lokpal bill initiated in
parliament has the scope for improvement. But the public is far ahead
and may ultimately ask for new representatives in the Lok Sabha.
The political parties, except the ruling Congress, may change their
stance before long. The BJP is already supporting the movement,
expecting some recognition from Hazare. Gujarat chief minister
Narendra Modi has unilaterally praised the movement. The Anna team is
doing well to keep Modi and the BJP at a distance.
Muslims in India are still suspicious of Hazare, although he has
withdrawn the praise he had expressed for Modi in one of his
statements. I am hoping for the emergence of a third alternative
after the success of the ongoing movement. JP too began haltingly. The
government went on making one mistake after another and enabling him
to convert the movement into people's outcry against the centre.
He did not give a call for new elections initially. But when the
government's attitude remained intractable, he had no choice except to
say: Let's go back to the people. Mrs India Gandhi was trounced to
such an extent that she and her son, Sanjay Gandhi, lost the election.
The Congress should see the writing on the wall.
The party has dug its own grave. It should have compromised on the
Lokpal bill. Hazare was willing at one time to concede a bit of ground
on Lokpal's authority over the judiciary and the prime minister. The
government should have redrafted the judicial commission bill to allay
Hazare's doubts. The prime minister could be arraigned before the
Lokpal only on matters involving his corruption, not his governance.
Inder Gujral as prime minister was strongly against the Lokpal because
of the dangers entailed in exposing the office to Lokpal. But he was
not opposed to having some provisions against the prime minister if,
prima facie, a case was established. We cannot afford to keep the
office of prime minister outside the purview of the Lokpal.
--
Truth resides in every human heart, and one has to search for it there, and to be guided by truth as one sees it. But no one has a right to coerce others to act according to his own view of truth. - Mohandas Gandhi
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