Nothing can better illustrate the theatrical drama that is being enacted in the name of fighting corruption (especially the last fortnight), over the Anti-Corruption legislation termed as the Lokpal (Ombudsman) Bill, than by comparing it to a stage managed play. All the actors, actresses, villains, jokers along with their stage managers and not to forget the audience, everyone are there. Only in this real life drama not only has the script gone wrong, but the whole thing enacted in the name of fighting corruption is no more fictitious than a Bollywood movie – the ultimate opium of the Indian masses today.
Dramatis Personae
Let’s start by examining each of the principal actors in this whole drama one by one by starting with the self styled Anti-Corruption Crusaders i.e., Team Anna supposedly led by the self righteous, Gandhian so to speak – Anna Hazare. India Against Corruption (IAC) could not have chosen a more dubious, un-Gandhian and a village patriarch representing all the feudal values, than Anna Hazare. He represents the exact anti-thesis to the ideals of genuine democracy and social justice. But all that did not matter to the Kejriwal’s, Bedi’s, right wing NGO gangs and those rich corporate funders who were supporting the campaign. This new found second Gandhi was more than a willing puppet ready to be dangled to amuse and arouse the neo-rich of this country.
Next up are the so called Villains, as portrayed by Team Anna and the media witch doctors, the Congress led UPA government. While the government is no doubt corrupt to the core, they conveniently ignored corruption in its entirety. Not only the corrupt state governments run by the oppositional parties were ignored but the bigger corruption scandal involving Corporate India Inc. and the MNC’s was totally brushed aside. With their myopic and truncated understanding of corruption, they painted the Congress as the principle and the only evil doer in the whole story.
Of course, we cannot forget the usual sidekicks and comedians that form a staple diet in any mainstream Indian cinema. Here these were aptly played by BJP, the left parties, Janata factions etc., whose only role so to speak, was to keep the audience enthralled all long, with all their buffoonery and cheap politics without coming out clearly whether they were for or against the Jan Lokpal Bill as demanded by Team Anna. The professional, behind the curtain actors i.e., the RSS and the Hindutva gang were also there, reaping enormous long term political dividends.
And finally, the stage managers – the corporate media without whom the whole movement could not have been so well dramatized, feeding mass frenzy into the whole campaign.
Act I – Lokpal vs Jan Lokpal
If at all Team Anna has managed to achieve one thing they have reduced the whole corruption debate to government version of Lokpal Bill versus their version called the Jan Lokpal Bill. Nothing could have looked more ridiculous than the assumption that to solve corruption in India you need a authoritarian legislation empowering the Ombudsman with enormous administrative powers without any accountability whatsoever. This is more akin to bureaucratizing corruption and not ending it. And this is not supposed to end here, this is only the beginning of much well thought of game plan that wants to see India move away from democracy (however flawed) to an unaccountable bureaucratic/ technocratic usurpation of State power catering to the needs of the multinational corporations.
It is not as if the ruling Congress party was wanting in any way to scuttle this move towards bureaucratization which is already taking place. While the government nevertheless managed to use the anti corruption movement to suit its purposes, however they wanted to remain firmly in control as to how the final bill took shape and did not want to share any laurels with Team Anna and followers.
In this they bungled by first of all giving legitimacy to the whole campaign by inviting the core team members of the Indian Against Corruption (IAC) campaign in drafting the legislation and later trying to disown them completely. After the fiasco in August were the government was humiliatingly forced by the 12 day hunger fast by Anna Hazare into accepting the key demands of IAC through a resolution in the parliament, it seemed as if there was no going back now and Team Anna had actually won!
Act II – Congress’s Dilemma
For the Congress, the whole issue of the anti-corruption legislation (apart from the larger goal of catering to the needs of Capitalism) boiled down to who gained electorally and how to project its Prince and heir apparent – Rahul Gandhi as the leading icon against corruption. Given its falling popularity and the uphill task it faces in the coming assembly elections in 5 states, the Congress surrounded, as it is by unpredictable allies and a heir completely unsuited for the task, was desperately groping in the dark, as how to deal with the situation.
It is in this context, they sought to first of all annihilate the anti corruption campaign and the opposition parties from gaining an upper hand in the anti-corruption debate. Plus they sought to create around the anti-corruption legislation a larger than life body, granting it a constitutional status and by mouthing it through its prince – Rahul Gandhi, in its bid to outdo the rest.
Act III – Corruption & Team Anna
If one were to describe the mood amongst the Team Anna leadership, especially after Anna’s 12 day hunger fast in August, it was sheer arrogance. All the myths about the movement being apolitical were completely dispelled and it was quite clear as daylight that the campaign was merely a cover for a wider political agenda and biased political loyalties. The true face of the Team Anna started to open up for the whole world to see.
One, there was nothing progressive about the whole campaign. In the face of questions regarding their stance on 12 year hunger fast by Irom Sharmila against AFSPA in the North East or on several issues ranging from land acquisition to nuclear issue and other injustices across the country, all one could hear was either a stunned silence or parroting the stance of the right wing demagogues. The use of pseudo patriotic slogans like “Bharat Mata Ki Jai” or “Vande Mataram” and the presence of RSS and the Hindutva brigade plus the support of openly upper castiest groups like Youth for Equality and others in the whole campaign, was a clear indication as to how the movement was fashioned.
Second, on the issue of personnel integrity and accountability, the leadership of the movement was found wanting. Various charges ranging from misappropriation of funds, fund guzzling rackets and other murky dealings by the leadership have surfaced in recent times. Added to this was the enormous support they got from the big Corporates and their media, exposed their true loyalties.
Thirdly, the short fall of democratic practices in the campaign was itself a glaring lacunae. The fact that many of its leading lights like Santosh Hegde or Swami Agnivesh and others have openly expressed concerns or forced to quit the stage showed that all was not well in this much hyped “democratic movement” which was enacted hour by hour, minute by minute in the full glare of the Television cameras making them rich by few hundred crores of rupees. It was more than evident that the whole “movement” was run in an autocratic fashion by one overzealous, impatient and opportunistic ex IRS officer – Arvind Kejriwal and the other a former top cop and militaristic nonetheless – Kiran Bedi.
And last but not the least, the icon of the campaign – Anna Hazare. One might think that it is crazy if the whole campaign depended on one old man fasting (a foul mouthed and a despotic one at that!) all the time, with no Plan B. But remarkable as it may sound, the whole plank of the campaign depended on Anna Hazare fasting and nothing else! From the success of the last two fasts, it only bred more arrogance which went over their heads that somehow or other Anna’s fast could achieve just about anything! This is how they planned to embark on the December edition of Anna’s fast when the parliament was considering the government’s version of the Lokpal Bill and thus try to force the government into accepting Anna’s demands.
Act IV – The Opposition
If there was one principal constituent that could gain from the whole anti-corruption movement, it was the BJP. For the others like the left parties such as the CPI-M, their role had been reduced to cheerleading if not openly supporting Anna Hazare’s campaign. And as far as the rest of the gang, like the Janata factions, BSP’s, TMC’s, NCP’s, Sena’s etc., were concerned, they were openly hostile to the Lokpal bill which they saw as aimed against their vested interests at the regional level than anything to do with the Centre.
For the BJP, the whole anti-corruption movement was all about scoring brownie points against its main rival the Congress and a moral booster to its leadership especially L K Advani. With his dreams of becoming India’s PM one day still going strong (despite being in his mid eighties!), to everyone’s amusement (including the RSS) Advani embarked on yet another of his infamous countrywide Rath Yathra (Chariot Journey). While generally considered by one and all as a flop show of an ageing leader living beyond his times, the only thing it managed to achieve was bring out into the open the crisis within the BJP. It was a shock to many of its state units, especially its Karnataka unit that is infamous for corruption scandals and it also brought out the tussle for leadership control between Advani’s camp and Gujarat’s Chief Minister – Narendra Modi, who also harbors prime ministerial ambitions.
As for the left parties were concerned, especially the CPI-M, the less said the better. For a party like the CPI-M with its mighty organisation and linkages to TU’s and student bodies across the land, to end up cheering and supporting Anna’s movement only reveals the sorry state of affairs in the party. Instead of being at the helm of the anti-corruption movement in the country and thoroughly exposing the likes of Anna’s, Kejriwal’s, Bedi’s and the rest of the gang, the party has degenerated to the extent of sharing dais with Anna and team along with the BJP.
Act V, Scene I – Anna’s Flop Show
For a man like Anna who never stopped reminding his audience that he was ready to die for the country, what transpired during the last weeks of December can only be described as comedy show. First, it was supposed to be an indefinite fast. Then they changed plans by shifting the venue from Delhi to Mumbai saying Delhi was too cold! Then Anna’s fast was reduced to merely 3 days because of ill health and later they planned a Jail Bharo (filling the jails) protest.
Whether it was due to his ill health or because of poor crowd turnout (nobody will know) Anna ended his fast within two days citing poor health. Surely for a man who was ready to give up his life, neither cold nor ill health not even poor turnout should have come in the way to achieve his end desire!
For Team Anna the December episode was a watershed to their campaign (read blackmail), with the people giving a fitting reply to Team Anna’s bluff that “Anna is India – India is Anna”. This shows there is a general weariness among ordinary people on Team Anna’s theatrics and that people cannot simply be taken for a ride anymore.
Scene II – Stalematet Once Again!
With Anna’s movement collapsing, the scene at the parliament was anything but friendly to Lokpal Bill. The whole issue of the Lokpal Bill boiled down to two things: the Central govt. control of the Central investigative agency – CBI and separate Lokayuktas (Ombudsman) for the states. With the government just unwilling to give up its extraordinary powers over investigative agencies and opposition unwilling to relent on separate Lokayuktas for the states, the December session of parliament ended with both sides resorting to their usual blame game.
The whole debate was nothing to do with ending corruption or even about Lokpal Bill but which party gained the maximum political mileage out of it. With no clear winners or losers, the government has got away without losing much face this time around. This logjam will continue in the next sessions of the parliament as well. It is amply clear that the govt., while okay with Lokpal in principle, but at the same time is not willing at present to concede powers to something beyond its control.
Epilogue
So what now? Is the anti-corruption movement as good as finished? Will the parliament ever pass a strong Lokpal? Will the Congress ever relent over its powers over the CBI? Or is the whole thing merely an eyewash?
It would be too pre-mature to write an obituary of Team Anna just yet. For one, while there may not be another fast for sometime to come but that is not going to stop them from intervening in the future political events, especially with the assembly elections in 5 states in the next few months, most importantly in the biggest state– Uttar Pradesh. It is quite clear that it is going to be an anti-Congress campaign directed against its first family – the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty. It would indeed make good script for another drama as they opportunistically forge alliances with equally corrupt oppositional parties in their quixotic zeal to end corruption.
For the ruling class or the ruling party more specifically, drafting a strong Lokpal Bill depends upon the outcome of the coming elections as they try and guage the mood of the public. Corruption will be one of the central issues on which people will make their choices and who knows if the current logjam continues, corruption and a strong Lokpal Bill might even end up as the central issue in the 2014 general elections.
But even as this sham battle against corruption rages on, the real issues or the causes of corruption lie forgotten. And the biggest corruption scandal of all, for which no Lokpal will have an answer, India’s so called Growth story that has substituted the democracy of the billion plus masses for the democracy of millionaires and billionaires. What is the cause of this and is there a way forward to end this nightmare? We certainly have no answers forthcoming from either the political establishment nor the so called ‘civil society’ of Anna Hazare and gang.
And before this story ends, let us bear in mind it is not a law, it is not Anna Hazare and it is definitely not the political establishment or the ruling class that can end corruption. It is only the people, not any, but the oppressed and the exploited – the working people of this land, that can truly end corruption once and for all. This it can by challenging Capitalism-Landlordism and fighting for a New Socialist Alternative.