Hindustan Times
Anna’s eloquent maun
Anna Hazare has gone on a maun vrat. In some ways, his decision to go silent is eloquent, come as it does after Prashant Bhushan’s controversial remarks on Kashmir that begot a violent right wing reaction. He’s upset also with Arvind Kejriwal’s claim that the self-professed Gandhian was above Parliament.
Surrounded by an eclectic crowd with strong views on issues ranging from Kashmir to Naxalism and the Gujarat riots, Hazare has lately been embarrassed by their public expression of differences. Somewhat unfairly branded a Congress Trojan Horse, Swami Agnivesh quit (or was eased out) some weeks ago. Justice Santosh Hegde too found himself marginalized within the much celebrated anti-graft Team after he— as the Karnataka Lok Ayukta— indicted B S Yeddyurappa in various land scam cases.
It was in the aftermath of his anti-Yeddy verdict that Hegde was replaced by Kiran Bedi on Anna’s team to negotiate the Jan Lok Pal draft with the government. More recently, the retired Judge lambasted Kejriwal’s anti-Congress pitch in the Hisar by-polls on the ground that it violated the anti-corruption movement’s apolitical character.
But from Anna’s standpoint, Prashant’s transgressions are more serious. The former army soldier considers Kashmir as an integral part of India. He has nothing but disdain for the plebiscite option his lawyer colleague advocated for letting the Kashmiris exercise their freedom of choice.
It’s difficult to say what exactly is going on in Hazare’s mind. He’s ambiguous on the Manipur based activist Irom Chanu Sharmila’s demand for the repeal of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, alleged human rights violations in Kashmir and the Salva Judam project to counter naxalism.
As a former armyman, Anna’s a bit of a militarist, a la the RSS. But to be fair, he lost little time to dissociate from the Sangh when Mohan Bhagwat claimed equity in various programmes of India Against Corruption (IAC).
Many Congress leaders from Maharashtra do not subscribe to Digvijay’s oft-repeated charge of Anna being an RSS prop.
They say the Gandhian has a mind of his own, politically that is, though he isn’t any great thinker or visionary. He makes up for these shortcomings with unwavering commitment to issues as was evident during his Ramlila maidan fast.
When he finally breaks his maun, Anna would face a plethora of questions — from Sanjiv Bhatt’s bail in Gujarat to the Congress’s defeat in Hisar, Yeddy’s arrest in Bangalore and Rahul Gandhi’s recent moves to set up a talks table with Anna’s followers from his native village.
The Gandhian is on record telling a TV channel that he’d work with the Congress if it keeps its promise of legislating on the Lok Pal in Parliament’s winter session. For the present, the U-turn to which he hinted before going silent seems improbable.
(15 votes, average: 3.67 out of 5)
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) … maybe you would have second thoughts !
Anonymous Reply:
October 17th, 2011 at 3:34 pm
You being an intelligent person, a self-introspection (Chintan-BaiThak!) would answer your own questions. There should be no need for anyone else to furnish explicit answers.
[Reply]
Anonymous Reply:
October 17th, 2011 at 3:38 pm
Mr.Tandon,
Ishwar has asked a very important question. Why does this movement become tainted if RSS supports its.
If you look at the records RSS is as communal as CONGRESS, as divisive as Sonia’s party…
[Reply]
Anonymous Reply:
October 17th, 2011 at 4:29 pm
Rajeev,
you are being blasphemous, calling the ultra secular congress, which has Digvinash as its general secretary as communal as the RSS. You should have rather said, the RSS is as secular as the congress and as divisive as the Muslim League. This is clearly your attempt at tearing the ’secular fabric’ of the nation, so assiduously woven by the great party, which, incidentally, also won the freedom from colonial rule. Vinod Sharma is only a ‘humble admirer’ of the party and its supreme leader, who also got duly elected.
Anonymous Reply:
October 17th, 2011 at 5:47 pm
Mr.Shenoy,
Congress is no better than Jamat-e-Islami or RSS or Muslim league. It has stayed in power by dividing Society. It was the first party that used casteist equations such as KHAM (in Gujarat) to stay in power. All parties whether communal, casteist or regionalists owe their ideological existence to Congress, the mother of all evils.
Anonymous Reply:
October 17th, 2011 at 4:50 pm
Rajeev
“Why does this movement become tainted if RSS supports it?”
It was Anna Hazare who rubbished Mohan Bhagwat’s claim of support and active participation. Anna and his team should answer as to why?
Yes, I agree, every party plays a communal and/or a caste and/or a regional card, but it is only the RSS that gets bracketed as a communal organisation and most others do not wish to touch it. Why is it so? Should the RSS and its supporters introspect or that is to be outsourced?
Anonymous Reply:
October 17th, 2011 at 5:45 pm
Tandon,
RSS is just trying to take advantage of Anna’s movement.
“but it is only the RSS that gets bracketed as a communal organisation and most others do not wish to touch it. Why is it so? ”
The reasons can be many. One reason may be Congressi media (journos like Vinod) who shield congress from any communal taint. Let us not forget every journo (of Vinod’s generation and even after) has congressi upbringing. This is the major reason that RSS gets tainted but Congress is spared.
Anonymous Reply:
October 17th, 2011 at 6:23 pm
A very recent example is riots in Bharatpur Rajasthan (ruled by Congress), 15 muslims were gunned down in and around mosque. The mosque was riddled with bullets. We did not see any condemnation by secular media other than routine reporting.
There were evidences that Congress leaders allowed matters to precipitate but congress high command did not even rebuke Gehlot.
Pro-Congress media keeps silent on Congress sponsored riots (one being 1984) and calls everyone else communalists to keep congress in power.
Anonymous Reply:
October 17th, 2011 at 6:34 pm
1) RSS is just trying to take advantage of Anna’s movement.
Yes, but it landed up with egg on its face.
2) The reasons can be many, there are and not without reason. They are too well known to be repeated.
Anonymous Reply:
October 17th, 2011 at 6:45 pm
Tandon,
I agree with the first one and totally disagree with second one. More than 4-5 generations of Indians have congressi upbringing and that makes them very defensive of Congress.
You take any walk of life, you will find Congressis dominating it. The IAS/IPS cadres, govt. employees are either congressis or have congressi upbringing. All these NGO wallahs are pro-congress gangs who pretend to be voice of people. The NHRC itself is full of congressis..When Rahul blurted out inaccurate info. on Bhatta-Parsaul, NHRC intially did not agree but when it got dressing down by Congress, the WRC (women rights commission) fabricated a report to prove Rahul right.
The only way to get rid of all the malaise is by detoxifying this country of Congressism and then not allow other toxicants RSS or communists to pollute the national psyche.
Anonymous Reply:
October 17th, 2011 at 7:01 pm
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