Ramdev Shows Why Anna Failed

While Anna Hazare and his disbanded team worked day and night to ensure that their fight against corruption could keep its sanctity intact, they failed miserably. And, one year since August 16 last year is not too short a period to write off Anna and his defunct team, given the fact that they are in tatters now. In my private discourse, I have been comparing Anna's movement/agitation with a rather completely contrasting in both degree and nature phenomenon of Revolt of 1857. Both proved great headache to the ruling dispensation at their very outset, but ultimately vanquished by the government's strategy. And, both prepared a mindset in the nation for a greater fight. The massive movements failed because they lacked organization and a clear strategy.

This strategy makes a clear distinction between Ramdev's movement and Anna's agitation. This explains why Anna and his erstwhile team failed to preserve the mass support and pouring that they got at the Ramlila Ground following the Independence Day celebrations last year. On his part, Ramdev has a better organization and a discreet but seemingly clear strategy to counter the government. Emotion can make people join a mass movement, but only an organization can keep them moving along the movement. This is where Ramdev is an improved Anna.

After last year's midnight swoop on sleeping protesters and supporters of Ramdev, who showed an utter cowardice while dealing with state action, the saffron leader looks wiser. He is drawing crowds, through his well established network throughout the country, close on the heels of a flop show by Team Anna. With latest act, Ramdev has somewhat salvage his lost pride. This may give some sleepless nights to the already weary UPA government, but if Ramdev supporters remain peaceful and do not misinterpret the yoga teacher's call for revolution, the anti-black money movement augurs well for India's democracy.

Anna: From Movement To Agitation

(Reproducing the article that I wrote for Merinews yesterday)

The British ruled over India for about 190 years during which they sustained what they believed the biggest jolt to their rule in the form of Revolt of 1857. Historians, now, say that the revolt of 1857 failed to live upto its promise because of its inherent weaknesses, biggest being internal dissensions. And, the British continued to rule for another 90 years. There seem to be a parallel in Anna’s movement for Lokpal Bill which is evidently directed against the present UPA government.

It was only last year, when the entire nation made beeline behind an old man, who finds Gandhism thrust upon him. Anna Hazare has tried to emulate the Mahatma, but despite his personal integrity and grit, his movement has all the signs of frittering away and waning. People of the country are no longer moved by his call for fight against corruption. The government prepares for his call for fast, agitation and mass gathering, but somewhere within, it knows that Anna is more like a spent force now.

There are three important components of the Anna Movement, Anna, himself, his Team and people. Anna, first. The supposed Gandhian leader took up the cause floated by India Against Corruption and championed it and on the way to mercurial popularity he expanded his arena of fight from Maharashtra to cover entire India. He was clearly swayed by the volumes of support that he got from the people of this country, who felt that a new Gandhi had emerged to take on the might of the government, which had been disconnected from the people it governed. People’s anger found a genuine expression in Anna’s call to stand against corruption. Similar emotion had already been experimented successfully in Bollywood through films like Lage Raho Munna Bhai, where people clapped when an old man, a retired school teacher embarrasses a government official to secure his pension.

People are fed up with the all pervasive corruption for long now and Gandhianised Anna gave hope to them. But, somehow, Anna Hazare failed to keep that mass support intact. One has to accept this as Anna’s inherent weakness. He is no Gandhi. People failed to realize this and their expectations of Anna remained so high that he could not have lived upto. He lacks the organizational skill and the understanding of public mood of the Mahatma. Also, Anna Hazare has not been consistent in his speeches and actions over past one and a half-year, which is so un-Gandhian. This drifted the masses away from him and his movement.

Anna’s team is, at its best, pulling in different directions. Allegations of nepotism and dictatorial attitude have been the biggest obstacle in accomplishing the task that the team has taken unto itself. Chief architect of the Team Anna, Arvind Kejriwal has, somehow, alienated all colleagues but a few. Even Anna Hazare does not seem to be in sync with his team all the time. This has exposed an organized bunch of activists to the ruthlessness of the government. Also, the allegations against Kiran Bedi of malpractices and of having communal tinge against the team have not done any good for it. The inevitable result has been loss of credibility of Team Anna among the masses.

On their part, people have also behaved in an intriguing manner. All of a sudden, when the middle was rising, the masses in India rallied behind Anna Hazare, giving hope to the old wise man. Anna mistook this momentary exuberance of people as their readiness for a long drawn battle against the government. This was not. The hope of Ramlila Maidan in Delhi, the political capital dashed in the Azad Maidan in Mumbai, the commercial capital. It also served the Team Anna a clear message that people cannot sacrifice their economic/commercial interests for some wayward political gains. This is precisely why and how Anna’s anti-graft movement became a pro-lokpal agitation. The coming days, beginning today, are likely to follow the same pattern.

Libya, Anna and India

Another authoritarian regime is about to fall apart for ever. The history is unfolding in Libya. People may call them rebels who raced into Tripoli meeting practically no resistance from Muammar Gaddafi's forces, who had sustained the crest fallen leader for 42 years. Euphoria soon engulfed all. Residents merily mingled with the fighters in celebrations signalling their victory at Green Square in capital, Tripoli. While, Gaddafi is hiding at an undisclosed location and pleading with people and forces to safeguard his regime. But, when the commander is fleeing, it's only foolhardy to believe that his forces will stand any ground in the battlefield. Here, the entire nation has turned into a battlefield. Even, the heir apparent, Gaddafi's son has been captured. Both, Gaddafi and his son, Seif al-Islam face charges of crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Court at Hague in the Netherlands.

Now, the rebel forces have a huge task of setting the house in order. It seems that they are right on the money, at least in the capital. They have been reported to be setting up checkpoints in the capital to facilitate administration. This does give a very positive sign of organization on the part of the rebel forces.

The fall of Tripoli to Libyan rebels should serve as the final alarm to the leaders worldwide. People are exasperated, angry and have lost faith in the current mindset of governance as it has failed to deliver requisite services and facilities to them. The world economic order has widened the gap between the haves and have-nots. The governance seems to be patronizing the haves world over and the largest chunk of population has been rendered as have-nots though they toil the most to make their both ends meet. This explains the anger everywhere irrespective of the categorization of the country on IMF and World Bank's chart ot LIG, MIG or HIG countries.

India is no exception. The Indian government must not test patience of its populace any more as the patience is already on its wane in the country, where even handsome earners can't sustain for 3-4 months if money supply stops. Country is getting richer, but the nation poorer. Unimaginable support to Anna Hazare is a live evidence of the phenomenon. Libya must be the final wake up call for the government. India can't afford to become an Egypt or a Libya.

Anna Puzzle

Anna, The Sepoy

Anna Hazare has puzzled not only the govt, his supporters, media but himself as well. He would not have imagined that his call for a strong lokpal bill will get so much of support. In fact, people are not pouring in for the Janlokpal Bill, as drafted by the lawyers of Team Anna, but against omnipresent, all-pervading demon of corruption and for a hope that is floating on the promise of a Janlokpal. Though, people are not fully aware of the Lokpal or a Janlokpal, but it is the hope that has attracted them in large numbers. I only fear that they would get more exasperated in a few months from now, when they would find that framing of laws can not eradicate corruption from the Indian society, which needs stricter implementation of the existing laws and requires urgently getting back to moral schools for strong ethical values to resist temptation and allurement.