5th April 2011, Jantar Mantar, Delhi: Anna Hazare started an indefinite hunger strike on to exert pressure on the Indian government to enact a stringent anti-corruption law.
9th April 2011: a day after the government accepted Anna’s demands the fast ended.
4th August 2011: The Lok Pal Bill, 2011, introduced in the Lok Sabha, which was then was withdrawn by the government.
9th December 2011: a fractured, toothless Lokpal Bill introduced.
The movement started by Anna Hazare a year ago was one of the most remarkable movements of the post independence period. Never before had the youth of India had been so titillated for a national cause. The awareness among the people for the cause was enormous. This movement had the potential to lock horns against corruption, to bring a change that had been envisaged by almost every Indian. Then why tamper with this force all of a sudden? Is it right to beleaguer this movement with a political motive? Was Anna’s decision to form a political party a right move? Or was this decision made because the movement has lost its steam and is not receiving the kind of support expected? Are Indians tired of these futile incessant fastings?
Anna would have to answer a truckload of questions. A political party needs to have a definite structure and requires a lot of thought and planning to be put into it. Most of all it needs to have visionary leaders who can gain a mass appeal, because elections are not won by mere thoughts of a person or two. For a party to form its own government it needs to have a majority, and it should be able to garner support of other parties as well. Along with all this, to survive in Indian political scenario, party leaders must have a certain level of political maturity. Will Anna’s party which is yet to be conceived have it all by 2014?
Moreover, as of now, corruption seems to be the only agenda Anna Hazare and his team seems to be fighting for. India as a country, as an economy, has a lot many things like GDP, inflation, trade, foreign relations etc. to be looked upon. Will the ‘Anna Brigade’ be able to handle it all? If Anna Hazare and his team are really serious about their political ambitions they should present their vision of the fourth front, their plans, and their dreams to the people of India so as to earn their respect, their support. If their voyage does consummate then it’s all glory not only for them but also for every other Indian crusader. On the flip side if that doesn’t happen, fingers would be raised; they will have bear all the scathing remarks by every other political scavengers who had ever claimed to be existent in this arena. A atmosphere of hopelessness will cloud India, no matter how many time decapitated evil will raise its head again.
But as Indians let’s not be skeptical, even though we know that all the odds are against let’s not stamp on this budding flower. Let’s nurture it. Lets water it every day with a hope that it WILL bloom someday.
5th April 2011, Jantar Mantar, Delhi: Anna Hazare started an indefinite hunger strike on to exert pressure on the Indian government to enact a stringent anti-corruption law.
9th April 2011: a day after the government accepted Anna’s demands the fast ended.
4th August 2011: The Lok Pal Bill, 2011, introduced in the Lok Sabha, which was then was withdrawn by the government.
9th December 2011: a fractured, toothless Lokpal Bill introduced.
The movement started by Anna Hazare a year ago was one of the most remarkable movements of the post independence period. Never before had the youth of India had been so titillated for a national cause. The awareness among the people for the cause was enormous. This movement had the potential to lock horns against corruption, to bring a change that had been envisaged by almost every Indian. Then why tamper with this force all of a sudden? Is it right to beleaguer this movement with a political motive? Was Anna’s decision to form a political party a right move? Or was this decision made because the movement has lost its steam and is not receiving the kind of support expected? Are Indians tired of these futile incessant fastings?
Anna would have to answer a truckload of questions. A political party needs to have a definite structure and requires a lot of thought and planning to be put into it. Most of all it needs to have visionary leaders who can gain a mass appeal, because elections are not won by mere thoughts of a person or two. For a party to form its own government it needs to have a majority, and it should be able to garner support of other parties as well. Along with all this, to survive in Indian political scenario, party leaders must have a certain level of political maturity. Will Anna’s party which is yet to be conceived have it all by 2014?
Moreover, as of now, corruption seems to be the only agenda Anna Hazare and his team seems to be fighting for. India as a country, as an economy, has a lot many things like GDP, inflation, trade, foreign relations etc. to be looked upon. Will the ‘Anna Brigade’ be able to handle it all? If Anna Hazare and his team are really serious about their political ambitions they should present their vision of the fourth front, their plans, and their dreams to the people of India so as to earn their respect, their support. If their voyage does consummate then it’s all glory not only for them but also for every other Indian crusader. On the flip side if that doesn’t happen, fingers would be raised; they will have bear all the scathing remarks by every other political scavengers who had ever claimed to be existent in this arena. A atmosphere of hopelessness will cloud India, no matter how many time decapitated evil will raise its head again.
But as Indians let’s not be skeptical, even though we know that all the odds are against let’s not stamp on this budding flower. Let’s nurture it. Lets water it every day with a hope that it WILL bloom someday.