Well done Anna. Encore!

Anna Hazare has got the government to act and agree to all his demands paving the way to constitute the new Jan Lokpal Bill with adequate civil society inputs by August 15, 2011 but I wonder with amazement at the quickness of government acquiescence, something we did not see when it came to constituting a JPC to investigate the 2G scam for which the government did not even mind to let a session of parliament washout, whereas, here it took the government less than a week to act! Seeing such prompt action, I am and am sure like me many Indians too are tempted to ask Anna to take up every issue we are facing as a nation with the government and get the results as quickly as we did in this case!

Alas, what happens in Indian polity is not as simple in terms of action and reaction playing out so blandly as it did apparently in this instance, that is, Anna’s action of hunger strike resulting in government’s reaction of agreeing to his demands in a jiffy – there is more to it than what meets the eye and its not so difficult to see through this sudden nimble footedness in government’s demeanor. With the four states and a UT, namely Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Puducherry going to assembly polls in a few weeks time and the fact that corruption is a major issue that is on electorate’s minds as well as on opposition’s agenda, the UPA and more importantly the Congress needed to show well before the first ballot was cast in these assembly polls that they are “serious” in acting against corruption and had they persisted against or chose to ignore Anna’s campaign, then, the political price would have been quite steep to pay, both the UPA and the Congress. So, in its own best interest, the government acted the way it actually did! This further gets very apparent because before Anna actually began the hunger strike, his letters to the PM Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi drew no response whatsoever and further the dismissive ranting of another senior cabinet minister Kapil Sibal who gave some amazingly ludicrous reasons debasing the demand for the Jan Lokpal Bill pointed to government’s initial disinterest and snub to the demands raised by Anna. However, all this changed the moment the government saw mass support for Anna’s cause across the country and the media coverage (and all forms of it from print, to television and to minute by minute online coverage and support through various online forums) it was receiving and the fact that these were affecting UPA and particularly Congress’ election prospects in the four states and the UT cornered the government into action quickly so that the damage can be limited as well as ensure that it is not seen on the wrong side of history by the people going to the ballot in a few weeks.

At the same time, cynics could argue that it was Anna’s masterstroke to join the issue with the government in this opportune time (when the four states and UT were going to the polls) and corner the government into action but it looks unlikely to be the case and even if it were so, I will unhesitatingly say and so, am sure most Indians will say too, “Well-done Anna. Encore!”