The Curious Case of Anna Hazare !!

I belong to a country that is the epitome of self-destructive obsessions, to name a few, cricket, religious bias, caste superiority, fair skin and recently added anti-corruption movements. Since the day, Anna has “arrived”; more than half of the country has lost its mind and gone blind. Till now, I have been ignoring what people have been doing in the name of anti-corruption movement, supporting Anna, however watching uncalled for activities and name calling on Facebook is hardly what I call being anti-corrupt. They all started with a common agenda of anti-corruption; however it has gradually become anti-congress. Initially when I watched the YouTube videos issued by Team Anna, I was influenced too; my faith towards the man was short-lived though. The public speeches are way too provocative and anti-congress, Anna says what people want to hear, that’s how he has prolonged the foreplay of this not-yet-finished anti-corruption movement.

People, disgusted and fuelled by latest scams, are on the lookout for an escape. JLB is what I call their escape route, they have been made to believe that a Bill can lead to a corruption free country; the thought is noble however there are laws in place already. You bring another law; you bring in more chaos to the system. IMO this is just another political tactic, or it has succumbed to the murkier political games. There is a possibility, they started on the right note, however got dragged deeper because of their attitude towards inflexible or as you would like to hear, deaf, government.

Recently, Anna’s team toured Chennai, as per Gnani Sankaran, mere 6000 supporters who turned up were sponsored too. I cannot put it better than he did, though I am glad to know a renowned columnist is on my side! As per Gnani, Anna’s supporters are of two kinds, the ones apolitical but concerned educated youth who rule the virtual world, the others who are fuelled by RSS. I fully support his take on this, based on my conversations on various social networking websites, especially Twitter, where people do not hold themselves back while hurling abuses in the name of “I support Anna, I have the right to dictate your speech as well as POV”. As soon you admit, you do not support Anna or his anti-corruption movement or Lokpal, you are announced a traitor, a loser, an uneducated NRI, someone who doesn’t face the music in day-to-day life, stretch your imagination as much as you can, I have heard it all for standing by what I believe.

On the other hand, those who have observed, understood, critically analysed the whole situation, they mostly do not impose their point of view. We respectfully do not support, you are free to support who so ever you like. If you believe Anna is the answer to all your problems then as per democracy, you can place your foot where your mouth is and nobody is allowed to question. Free will for all, but not free Bill for all, not yet my friend, not yet. I would really like to question the Congress-Bashing, well educated, well respected Indians who keep posting derogatory photographs about the prime minister and the likes, how much have you un-corrupted yourself since this anti-corruption movement has started? Or were you too busy laughing at MMS and Sonia Gandhi dancing in awkward poses and hitting that like button?

And, they played it supremely well by returning (or not?) a 50,000 INR cheque issued in support by a famous personality, who rolled it out on social networking websites, along with his bank account details. Team Anna is financially sound, they have their support, 50,000 INR is good enough to impress middle class Indians however meagre for the concerned.

As much as I would like to be proved wrong about what I have just said, as much as I would like this Bill to serve us all as the magic-wand and work as the antidote for corruption, I stand by my opinion to date about this whole movement. A Bill is a bill is a bill; it isn’t something that will be injected in our well-corrupted blood and set us all free! The passion to be part of an anti-corrupt nation comes from with-in. If the Politicians have pledged to bleed this country to death, trust me they will find the soft spot of the JLB and Anna too, or should I say, they already have? As long as, people do not weigh this Bill, the agenda rationally, do not exercise the anti-corruption attitude in their daily lives, an anti-corrupt nation is a farfetched dream. I find Anna too Dictator like to support, hence am afraid and concerned if a much powerful Bill is indeed passed, what this man would target next. To those, who would say, at least he is better than the government and politicians we have, then do remember, even after this Bill the same men, women would rule.


"Power will go to the hands of rascals ,rogues, freebooters; all Indian leaders will be of low caliber & men of straw.
They will have sweet tongues & silly hearts. They will fight amongst themselves for power & India will be lost in political squabbles. A day would come when even air & water would be taxed in India."

- Winston Churchill, At the time of Indian Independence, 1947

By the way, they say there isn’t anything that Rajnikanth *cannot do. I disagree; Rajnikanth cannot make this country corruption free! There, I said it.

* Rajnikanth can not, we can!!!

If the nation has to be corruption free, it's you and I who do it, not a third person who has been fasting-unto-death but is still alive! I see that as a broken promise too.