Political Diary

New Delhi, 4 August 2012

Lokniti Joins Rajniti

WILL THE SYSTEM DEVOUR?

By Poonam I Kaushish

To know your enemy, you must become your enemy, said Chinese Sun Tzu in Art of War in 6^th Century BC. Translated into 21st Century India this reads: To fight the system one has to be in the system. It looks like activists Anna & Co have transcended the Rubicon from Lokniti to Rajniti. Raising a moot point: Will they emerge victorious or will the system devour them?

Indeed, from the historic moment of the power of Jan Shakti witnessed in April and August last year at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar and Ramlila Grounds where ‘Idea Anna’ ignited India from a Maharashtra village into the heart of Lutyen's Delhi to 2012 desolate Jantar Mantar has been a long hard road. The crowds have dwindled to a few hundreds, media has lost interest and the Government simply ignored them. So unlike August 2011 when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh sent an emissary promising to bring in a Jan Lokpal Bill to ascertain Anna broke his 12-day fast to resounding applause from India.

Undoubtedly, Anna & Co were overpowered by the belief that ‘Idea Anna’ would replicate into a “second freedom movement” against corruption and our sleazy netagan. Perhaps, they thought that they could replicate India of 1977 when Lohiaite Jayprakash Narayan gave a clarion call for “Jan Sangharsh” of Lokniti over Rajniti against Indira Gandhi’s Emergency.

Replace JP’s “Singhashan khali karo, ki janata aati hai” with a contemporary and urbane people movement against corruption. But they fatally erred. 2012 Jantar Mantar was no freedom movement. Forcing them to abruptly end fasting and announce formation of a Party to take its battle cry against present day Political India in to the system: fight elections, enter Parliament, uproot corrupt Government and change the entire system.

A tall order. Already, activist colleague Medha Patkar has warned Anna to “think a 100 times” before diving in to the political dal-dal which could trap them forever. Former Cabinet Secretary TSR Subramanian too has said “he is devastated by a move that had taken the movement far away from its original intent.” In fact, Anna himself has made plain he will not join politics but “pick and choose” who to support.

Moreover, what guarantee is there that a fickle minded and selfish middle class will support them? Also, once a Party is formed, they will remain committed to their ideology and zeal for reform? Considering they will have to grapple with vexatious practical issues. Namely, spell out what the Party stands for: Just being anti-corruption will not suffice, because just about every Indian is against corruption. Two, extending its appeal across the country will require unambiguous political positioning on every issue, not just ghooskhori and shooting in the dark on anything and everything.

Pertinently, how will it fund the Party? As things stands, one need over Rs 20 crores to fight a Parliamentary poll and at least Rs 15 crore to become an MLA in a State. Once elected a Right Honourable starts ‘collections’ to fund his next election. Parties mobilise funds through loot of the exchequer, sale of patronage (2G spectrum scam, Coalgate etc) and plain extortion. Add to this, opaque corporate funding in exchange of favours. A continuing vicious cycle.

Thus, till our electoral system is cleansed, one does not hold out hope of any change for the better. Unless, it gets people’s donations as US President Obama did to finance his Presidential election, put their money instead of on-line tweets or by hosting fund-raising fasts!

This said, yet one cannot erase the fact of Anna Hazare’s biggest achievement, he helped crystallise widespread popular anger against corruption, malfeasance and mis-governance. Equally, he showed the aam janata the power they have and can wield to make and break our self-serving neta, of being in control, truly the masters and our polity the servants to serve them when he got Parliament to promise the Jan Lokpal Bill as his condition to break his fast in August last. 

Undoubtedly, he also filled the leadership vacuum created in the wake of an acute leadership deficit along-with having a ‘power centre’ outside the Government. But then, as the Prime Minister asserted the Lokpal Bill and others of its ilk are not a magic wands that will end India of all its warts: casteism, communalism and corruption. 

Equally, it would be presumptuous to presume that a piece of legislation like the Lokpal Bill will sound the death-knell of the corrupt. Given that corruption is as old as history in India. Clearly, as Anna’s brood transcends from being social activists to politicos they need to safeguard that they do not make the same mistake as JP’s followers did by embracing the system wholeheartedly.

Look how Lalu Yadav morphed from a die-hard Lohaite to earning ignominy for Bihar’s infamous chaara scam. Or AIADMK supremo Jayalalitha, BSP’s Mayawati, Samajwadi’s Mulayam who joined the political mainstream to change the system but were engulfed in its dazzling inferno. They must realize that one bad Government gives way to a worse Government after five years.  

Remember, Parliamentary democracy and participative democracy have never been mutually exclusive. Borne out by how JP’s 1977 movement for “true democracy” against Indira Gandhi’s tyranny was felled by the system.

Pertinently, Anna & Co are no JP. Why should one expect Messers Arvind Kejriwal and Kiran Bedi to be any different from our current polity? Both along-with their other compatriots belong and have been brought up in the same political, social and administrative environment.

In sum, the country needs to find a fine balance between street power and arrogant and tyrannical political system. Our political system must welcome new entrants to ensure a better ever-changing democracy.  Given that no pressure group can sustain itself on rivalry and antithesis alone. Else it will fade from public memory.

It remains to be seen whether the system will devour Anna & Co. Either which way, one thing is clear it would be near impossible for our polity to continue with the status quo. Anna and Co have ignited the volatile issue of corruption, which they need to ensure that they don’t get scorched by it. Else the people will never forgive them. After all, power is not immortal!

As Victor Hugo said: “You can resist an invading army; you cannot resist an idea whose time has come.”  Indeed, the idea of true democracy, with or without Anna has arrived! Will our netagan heed? ---- INFA

(Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)