What went wrong?
Away from home, India epitomizes the triumph of democracy. Come closer, and the bitter reality starts to sink in. We are still a long way away from institutionalizing the very concept on which a successful democracy thrives. Congress party is credited with being in power for around 50 years since independence, but seems to have learned a little on how to govern in a democratic setup.
Cornered by continuously emerging issues from different spheres of corruption, thanks to various forms of media, the Congress Govt. seems to have lost its composure by choosing to react vigorously than to act sensibly. Congress, being the oldest political party in the country, is skilled enough to handle attacks from other political parties infamous for one scam or the other themselves. But, it underestimated the strength of the storm that was brewing up with the mass leaders having no allegiance to a particular party, upping their ante against the functioning of its Govt. It failed miserably on all the counts to deal with the attacks coming from comparatively a respectable section of the society. All their attempts to use the same old political yardstick to deal with these newly empowered leaders without any significant political history have immensely backfired. It failed miserably in its attempt to create a divide amongst the mass-leaders of anti-graft, through means which were thoroughly exposed in the media.
The drama started when Baba Ramdev teamed up with Mr. Anna Hazare to support his attempt to get the the Janlokpal bill passed in the assembly, targeting corrupted leaders in the ministry. With the efforts showing up some favorable results, or so as it seemed, and seeing the common man standing behind the movement reminiscent of pre-independence days, Baba Ramdev with his own political aspirations, sensed an opportunity and decided to pursue some serious corruption issues on his own. But, Baba Ramdev seemed to have forgotten whom he was dealing with and Congress on its part hadn’t done a proper homework either. Congress, from its repertoire of leaders, chose Mr. Kapil Sibbal, infamous for his recent “1.76 lacs crore=Zero” equation vis-à-vis 2G scam, as the principle negotiator from the Govt side, perhaps giving him a chance to redeem himself in the party. Mr. Digvijay Singh renowned for his meteoric rise within the party owing to his unmatchable skills of sycophancy was chosen to launch a tirade attack aimed at the credentials of Baba. These are considered the two most notorious and understandably obstinate politicians in the country. I reckon, the smart politicians resorted to the clichéd “good cop bad cop game”, wherein Mr. Digvijay lashed out at Baba in public by calling him names, while at the same time Mr. Sibbal negotiated with Baba, keeping him aware of the current Govt. stand and what may lie in the store ahead. Baba had almost given in to the game plan until the last minute blunder by Sibbal alarmed him of the dire consequences which could have jolted his political ambitions there and then. Some sanity seems to have prevailed, causing Baba’s decision to continue the fast. And, this is where the Govt. lost it completely. They probably didn’t anticipate this kind of reversal in stand by Baba, and consequently had no contingency plan in place. The Sibbal and Co. may had given up at this stage. Instead of fixing the issue, to their chagrin, in the hush the duo had yet again done some serious damage to the Govt.
To add to the confusion, the Govt. at this point of time was thoroughly unsure of the massive turn the movement may take once Mr. Anna Hazare joins hands with Ramdev on Sunday. The failure of the Govt to find an amicable solution also provided strength to the lobby inside the party which wanted Baba to be taught a lesson for they thought that the establishment otherwise may be projected as meek and timid. Such insecurities within the party, led the Govt to break the stalemate by committing the biggest political gaffe i.e. the use of force on a strong yet peaceful contingent. This event has turned the tide entirely in favor of Baba, which henceforth may be hailed as the entry of another stalwart – Baba Ramdev in the political arena. Use of force on a peaceful rally consisting of people of both the genders and from all walks of life, numbering at around 50K, at 2 AM in the morning can’t be justified on any grounds. Understandably, Baba Ramdev is now trying to capitalize on this political opportunity thrown at him. Expectedly, the support is now not just coming from his stronghold rural areas but also from the educated urban middleclass. BJP has immediately shown its support, Anna Hazare camp has also criticized the move, and common people through various social networking sites are coming in with full support for the Baba. The ball is now in Baba’s court and his next move will decide his political career. Govt. has yet again made a mess of the situation and is now in the mode of damage control. Incidentally, there has been no communication from PM or Sonia Gandhi. Where are they hiding? How about leading from the front?
