Events & Issues

New Delhi, 30 August 2011

Anna Hazare

INDIA’S PIED PIPER

By Syed Ali Mujtaba

Anti-corruption campaigner Anna Hazare ended his 288 hours-long fast on Sunday last and provided the nation a collective sigh of relief. Indeed, his movement was a rare show of unanimity and purpose that saw unprecedented mobilization of the people from across the nation.

There are few very seminal points that have emerged out of the 12 days agitation led by 74-year-old Anna. The response to his call has set a precedence of sorts and that in the closest memory of mass agitations there are three events that stand out.  

One was the mobilization of the masses against the proclamation of national emergency in 1975. The agitation then was led by Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan, which caught the imagination of the entire nation and the people from a wide spectrum of society. They came on to the streets and rested only when the proclamation was withdrawn. 

The second mass mobilization was witnessed during 1998, primarily from the Upper Caste youth who were opposed to the implementation of the Mandal Commission report that gave 27 per cent reservation to the Other Backward Classes and Scheduled Caste and Tribes. This agitation was primarily confined to north India, where the upper caste youth came out in large numbers and some even immolated themselves for the annulment of the law.  Its was mass hysteria with the underpinning of suicidal impulses on the lines French sociologist David Émile Durkheim proponed in: Suicide: A Study In Sociology, published in 1895.

The last was the Sangh Parivar and BJP’s mass mobilization movement centering on Ram Janamboohmi and the creation of a Ram Mandir there. A wounded civilization came out in large numbers, joined it and the fallout was that the Babri Masjid was destroyed on December 6, 1992. However, on hindsight, the movement was destructive in nature and was used to rouse passion amongst the Hindus for vote bank politics. The intended purpose of the BJP was clearly short lived.      

As against the above, Anna’s agitation was unique in many senses. It demonstrated to the world that even in this age, there are pied pipers who can bring the people to the streets. Indeed, the charismatic figure of Anna caught the imagination of the nation with most equating him with Mahatma Gandhi and his non-violent agitation.

Some may point out that mass mobilization was because of the wide spread of the social media. Others may say it was the handiwork of the television channels that went gung-ho with this reality show. However, many others would prefer to give credit to the organizational acumen of Team Anna.  

This apart, the movement showed a great sense of discipline amongst the supporters. Skeptics had cast doubts over the agitation and some even predicted it may end up the Chauri Chaura way, and like Gandhi, Anna too would call off his fast in a dejected mood. Fortunately, for Team Anna all was well and went of as scripted.  

However, some may argue still that the movement was not picture perfect. There were flaws.  The 12 days agitation of Anna Hazare was able to dictate the content of the Lok Pal bill and the Government was forced to bow down to the pressure that was being applied through the strength drawn from the streets. Fear is that it has set a new precedence for future political discourse in the country and that future Governments would need to be prepared to handle such dictate from the so-called People’s Parliament.

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Imagine a situation when the farmers of the country march to New Delhi, to press their demands or the Hindutva forces muster such strength and pressurize the Parliament to build the Ram temple. Or say in the wake of a terror attack, the People’s Parliament demands the Government go to war with Pakistan!

Besides, some actions could have been avoided. The gherao of the Prime Minister, MPs and MLAs homes was ill-advised. Calling people’s representatives as dacoits and thieves unfortunately amounted to spreading hatred. Apologies in the closing speech were dished out, but the damage had already been done, which to some had lowered the dignity of the movement.

Another matter of concern has been the source of funding for sustaining the movement. Even prior to this, Team Anna was flying to different locations in the country and huge shows were organized. All this needs funds and the big question is: where did these come from?  Thousands of people at the Ram Lila grounds are reported to have been fed with snacks and food. It is possible that money may have come from Anna’s followers but the country needs to know the people who funded them. 

In the closing speech, it was said that the money spent during the agitation came from public donations and from admirers of Anna. To some this may sound more like a politician’s comment rather than of a social activist. Sadly, it does leave an element of suspicion among the civil society about the movement it represents.

In such issues, transparency is very crucial. In a rare show of solidarity countrymen belonging to a cross section of the society have given unstinted support to Anna’s protest against corruption. Team Anna should clearly make public the names of the people who have funded his agitation. Not doing so would go against the noble cause that the movement represents.    

Allegations of impropriety have also come to the fore regarding all the NGOs to which category Anna Hazare and his team belong. It is being said that they are not corruption-free. A few of them have been accused of swindling large amount of money and misusing the NGO portfolio for ulterior purposes. The fact of the matter is that Anna has wittingly or unwittingly failed to comment on this disturbing fact.

Additionally, Anna’s practice of giving a free hand to his hand-picked team has raised many an eyebrow. Certainly, there are more knowledgeable people in the country with equal if not more credentials that Anna could tap for the larger good of the nation. Keeping tainted faces in the crusade against corruption takes away the sheen out of the movement.

Finally, the claim that the battle against corruption has half been won seems a bit exaggerated.  The fact is that the battle against corruption has only just begun. The movement still has a long way to go. It needs to be fine tuned to give the dignity it deserves. The bitter truth is that Team Anna has not been able to elevate the quality of the campaign to sustain such a movement. It’s imperative to plug the loopholes in future. 

However, in the end, let us hope and pray that human greed is over powered in our country and corruption is banished from this land. If and when it happens, Anna will be hailed as the pied piper of India.--INFA

(Copyright, India News & Feature Alliance)