Why Anna, why?

3 August, 2012

Over the last one and a half years I have been perceived as cynically and critically anti Anna Hazare.

Well, to tell the truth, last April, when this diminutive old man came and sat down at Jantar Mantar and quietly began his protest fast against corruption, I admired him but then the crowds swelled and the 'power' went to his head. He and his team became sanctimonious, dogmatic and abusive. In the process, they committed the blunder of biting the hand that reached out to them. The govt listened to them, instituted a special committee, introduced an anti corruption legislation in the Parliament and had it passed in the Lok Sabha. Instead of appreciating this effort the team took a stance of confrontation. Drunk on people’s power and a misplaced self righteous attitude it abused the very people who for the first time in the history of India actually seemed serious about bringing in a law to curb corruption. 85% of Team Anna's demands had been met and the balance 15% could have been worked out through negotiations and amendments brought in at a suitable time in the future but Anna and his cronies were unbending and unrelenting. It was a case of ' my way or the highway' and 'with us(in totality) or against us' with them and this madness led them to over reach. This 'overload' tripped and destroyed the entire movement. It is a tragedy.

All in all, it is a golden opportunity squandered. The loser, as always, is the common man.