Yusuf Meherally Centre Nation
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Established 1946 Price : Rupees Five Vol. 66 No. 38 Alarm Bells Sound Again October 23, 2011 S.Viswam Alarm Bells Sound Again S.Viswam By-election results are seldom Progressive Alliance as a whole accurate barometers of political if not the specific ruling cliques realities. They do not generally tend in the four states where the by- Movement Going Astray to overthrow elected or established elections were held to dismiss the Kuldip Nayar governments. It would be imprudent results, or the implications, lightly if not downright unwise, therefore, to or as of little consequence. That the read too much political meaning into Congress at least is not doing so can Islam and Family Planning the outcome of the four by-elections be inferred from Finance Minister Asghar Ali Engineer in four states last week. The results do Pranab Mukherjee’s reaction to the provide an opportunity to the political setback suffered by his party in all parties to analyse the voting patterns the four constituencies. “The party’s Memorandum on critically in order to update their loss,” he has said, “is always a sad Land Acquisition Bill respective databanks and to shore up thing. And we shall have to analyse their assessments of their following why we have lost.” Quite so. The or lack of it in specific assembly Congress has good reason to feel Demand for International or Lok Sabha constituencies. Team that the results are saddening. For Price Control on Oil Hazare in particular needs to resist the Congress to fare so badly as the temptation to over-evaluate the to lose deposits is sad enough, but popular response on the basis of the to lose even in places it has every Repeal AFSPA Now! voting trends since it will again be reason to win is heart-breaking for imprudent to conclude that the results its workers. Voters in Hissar were reflect the popular mood in regard to certainly swayed in some measure to Feature on the burning issue of corruption in the the anti-Congress campaign of Team Yusuf Meherally Centre nation. Actually, for serious students Hazare. In other constituencies, the of Indian elections, the outcome may Congress setback can be attributed Editor : not have come as a surprise because to purely local influences, like that the results can be seen to reflect by in Khadakwasla where the Congress G. G. Parikh and large the prevailing popular and the NCP, who are partners in D-15, Ganesh Prasad, mood in the four constituencies which government chose to sabotage each was largely adversarial to the ruling other’s electoral fortunes at the Naushir Bharucha Marg, dispensations. hustings. In Banasawada, where the Mumbai - 400 007. Telengana issue dominated the run Nonetheless, it would also be up to the by-poll, a Congress win Email : [email protected] imprudent for the ruling United would have been surprising. The 2 JANATA, October 23, 2011 Janata Dal(United) maintained its lucky streak demonstrated in the Movement Going Astray last Assembly polls where Chief Minister Nitish Kumar crushed the Kuldip Nayar Congress-RJD opposition. It is always a problem for the than Anna’s demands. People stayed Had the Congress managed to people’s movement to stay within behind him because as a Gandhian register at least one triumph, the the contours of its original purpose. he led an austere, simple life and totality of the rout suffered by it Too many hands join to bask in spoke about values, an idiom which would have been less intense. But the glory and like too many cooks, the political parties had forsaken. since the party has been trounced they spoil the broth. I had such an He did prick the nation’s conscience badly, the lessons it needs to learn apprehension when Anna Hazare’s which was appalled over the system are that much harsher. For one thing, stir against corruption, more that seethed with corruption. Even the Congress needs to note that every specifically for the appointment of single political development in the when Anna praised Gujarat chief Lokpal (ombudsman) to eliminate country in the last two years has left minister Narendra Modi, he was it, began. impressions adverse to it. This has forgiven because the people’s eyes been so specially after UPA II took So many marches ended at the were fixed only on the agenda of over for its second innings. Leave Jantar Mantar at New Delhi and so eliminating corruption. He too alone the corruption issue, which, of many people sat on hunger strike realized his make and withdrew the course, is the common fodder for all at the same place. But nothing remark. This once again underlined its opponents, there are other issues happened beyond creating a ripple or point that the movement was meant that do not flatter the Congress- two. Suddenly, Anna’s call brought only for eliminating corruption. UPA governance record. Inflation thousands of people on the streets. He The BJP-cum-RSS owned him is already casting a grim shadow gave a face to the general resentment and gave him all the support through over Pranab Mukerjee’s pre-budget which needed ventilation. The nation its cadres and leaders. Liberals did exercises. Agitations are building up got a cause. not like it. The Congress indulged over price rises. Good governance I wish the movement had stayed in “we-told-you-so” attitude. Still is at a discount but alarmingly the on course. It was a call against Anna’s candid statement that if the Cabinet is acting like a divided corruption and was apolitical. In BJP or the RSS supported him, it did house. Ministers do not see eye to fact, intellectuals from different not mean that he had asked them for eye with one another and with the backgrounds and leaders from support allayed most fears on his tilt Prime Minister who, poor man, different movements came on one towards the saffron brigade. Both the seems isolated. platform and they had just one BJP and the RSS did not like this purpose before them: to fight against but continued their support. Yet the Hard days are ahead of the corruption. A few dissenting voices movement stayed on course, more UPA, no doubt. A word to the were rudely brushed aside because or less apolitical. wise is enough, it is said. With they were seen raising doubts alarm bells sounding everywhere, I think that the biggest mistake expressed about the movement. the Congress must be expected to was made when Anna and his The government was forced to invite set about earnestly and pronto to 26-member team announced that Anna to discuss his suggestions to re-galvanise the moribund party. they would oppose the Congress curb corruption. After nine rounds of We have cautioned the Congress candidate in the Hissar by-election. talks, the two found that they were often earlier and do so again to I did not know till then that Arvind not on the same page. Both went digress from its current suicidal Kejriwal, the right hand man of their own way but promised that the path and regain its cohesiveness. Anna, was from Hissar. There would end result, elimination of corruption, A word to Team Hazare is also in have been some kind of defence if would be met. order. Encouraged by the Hissar they had said that corrupt candidates poll outcome, its members have The government and the ruling should be defeated. In fact, the call Congress party gave an undertaking was to defeat the Congress candidate. (Continued on Page 3) that the Lokpal bill would be stricter An apolitical body began to acquire JANATA, October 23, 2011 3 political colour. The complexion their regimes are before the people anti-movement elements. The team changed from then onward. to see. My worry is that Anna’s has to adhere to the original purpose. platform which had opened a Where it was said that the persons As for Anna, I draw his attention window of opportunity and hope is from different backgrounds had come to the words recorded about Isaac beginning to shake. And there are together on one platform to fight Newton: “He lived the life of a doubts about its credentials. against corruption, it began a trend solitary, and like all men who are of thought whether most of them The two members, Rajinder occupied with profound meditation, were pursuing their own agenda. Singh and P.V. Rajagopal, who he acted strangely. Sometimes, in This impression got strengthened have dissociated from Anna’s team, getting out of bed, an idea would when Prashant Bhushan made are well respected. They found the come to him, and he would sit on certain remarks on Kashmir. I am original purpose of fighting against the edge of the bed, half dressed, for not commenting on their merit but corruption without being political hours at a time.” I am surprised that he made them going awry. This is where persons when as Anna’s top man he had to like Medha Patkar and Swami (Continued from Page 2) be discreet. Agnivesh, however critical, have to begun challenging the Congress to intervene to reassemble the elements This unnecessarily clouded the a duel in the coming UP elections which met first under the leadership real purpose. I condemn the physical if the party does not pass the Jan of Anna to draft the Lokpal bill. At attacks on him. This only indicates Lokpal Bill in Parliament’s winter that meeting, it was enunciated many how the society is increasingly session. Are such intimidatory a time that the movement would not taken over by lumpen elements.