Written on 11/04/2011
The 1.21 billion people nation felt united like in the days of Gandhi ji when Anna went 'ann na' at the spooky named Jantar Mantar in the capital, demanding for a legislative bill against corruption. The nation handed over the hardest soft power to the frail Gandhian and believed that he will root out corruption which is deep-rooted in our society. Little did anyone know that in five days, one of the biggest movements of modern India will meekly wind up with the formation of a committee that has two innocuous sides - one side that is enslaved to dynastic rule and the other side that has an in-built dynastic dimension. The Government side is headed by a wily politician who specializes is laying winding paths like 'jalebis' even for simple straightforward destinations and amongst the members are the Home Minister and Law Minister, The Non-Governmental side is comprised of a dynasty of father and son and Anna himself in addition to others. For all the 1.21 billion people, it is shame that we cannot look beyond dynasties, families and spineless faithful even when we have to draft an epoch-making law to thwart corruption. I am sure this will wash off as yet another hyped affair. And those who had taken a brief break from demanding bribes will have already begun their work with an inflated price.
While most members of the Committee look either senile or clueless or complacent or harmless at the outset, Prashant Bhushan is the epicenter of concerns, because he is the one who is not senile or clueless or complacent or harmless. He is facing 'contempt of court' and is not discharged from the Apex Court on the matter, as yet. His ideologies are vastly sympathetic to Maoists and has visibly shared platforms with the likes of Medha Patkar who has advocated the cause of Naxal movement & is known anti-development in India
The father-son dynastic duo on this anti-corruption committee is the anti-climactic tragi-comedy of Anna's making. If there is such a thing called the 'call of the conscience, Prashanth Bhushan should step down from the responsibility. Social causes are not family causes and social affairs not family affairs. If at the end of this grandly orchestrated national task emerges 'anarchy' and constitutional impropriety, the laughing hyenas of the corrupt corridors of Governance will bleed us all. If we cannot escape from dynasties, we are sure to 'die nasty'.
V K Saxena
President
National Council for Civil Liberties
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