For a government to go back on its commitments and renege on its promises so often is tantamount to fraud on its people. It is highly unbecoming of a government of any civilized country to behave in this manner as our national government has behaved lately. It has already been indicted by the apex court's amicus curiae on its handling of Baba Ramdev in a midnight coup. It has received all kinds of flaks it could from the same court on various corruption cases. In fact, in one of the orders on Black Money, the Supreme Court just fell short of calling it a failed state. There could not have been a stronger indictment of an elected government.
The government, however, has carried on shamelessly. When Anna was on fast for 12 days at Ramlila Maidan, no less a person than the prime minister himself wrote a letter to him in which he promised to incorporate his main concerns in the Lokpal as demanded by Anna Team and on this assurance Anna broke his fast. Prior to that a drama was enacted in the parliament where Pranab Mukherjee announced 'sense of the house' on those very demands which subsequently the prime minister apprised Anna of.
After Standing Committee submitted its report after long recess, it once again became clear that the government was again going back on its commitment to give a strong lokpal. Anna once again had to issue threats whereupon government seemed to be working overtime to include those demands Anna had made. Things seemed to be moving in that direction. Then again things seemed to move in a different trajectory giving rise to oft repeated complaint of the civil society that this government was not keen to tackle corruption. In fact, position began to change and alter like the climate of Delhi: foggy, misty and sunny and again foggy and misty. In these 48 hours the government has come full circle on many things and returned almost to the original position of not acceding to any demand.
Even now when the government appears to have made up its mind to create a lokpal that would have none of those elements that were suggested by the Team Anna, nothing is certain. This may be a deliberate ploy of the government from a strategic point of view. If it is so, it is certainly in a very bad taste and clear indication that the government is not at all keen to take any concrete and decisive steps towards tackling corruption. The whole country has risen like a phoenix against this genie of corruption, but government seems hell bent on protecting the corrupt when it should be seen on the other side. For a government to consistently go back on its commitment and renege on its promises, all that can be said is that it is highly unbecoming of it and this is going to work to its disadvantage in the days to come.
For a change, India is wide awake now and Anna has given the people a hope of resurrection. Systemic change is what people of India are clamouring for, and if it has to come at the cost of the government, so be it.
The government, however, has carried on shamelessly. When Anna was on fast for 12 days at Ramlila Maidan, no less a person than the prime minister himself wrote a letter to him in which he promised to incorporate his main concerns in the Lokpal as demanded by Anna Team and on this assurance Anna broke his fast. Prior to that a drama was enacted in the parliament where Pranab Mukherjee announced 'sense of the house' on those very demands which subsequently the prime minister apprised Anna of.
After Standing Committee submitted its report after long recess, it once again became clear that the government was again going back on its commitment to give a strong lokpal. Anna once again had to issue threats whereupon government seemed to be working overtime to include those demands Anna had made. Things seemed to be moving in that direction. Then again things seemed to move in a different trajectory giving rise to oft repeated complaint of the civil society that this government was not keen to tackle corruption. In fact, position began to change and alter like the climate of Delhi: foggy, misty and sunny and again foggy and misty. In these 48 hours the government has come full circle on many things and returned almost to the original position of not acceding to any demand.
Even now when the government appears to have made up its mind to create a lokpal that would have none of those elements that were suggested by the Team Anna, nothing is certain. This may be a deliberate ploy of the government from a strategic point of view. If it is so, it is certainly in a very bad taste and clear indication that the government is not at all keen to take any concrete and decisive steps towards tackling corruption. The whole country has risen like a phoenix against this genie of corruption, but government seems hell bent on protecting the corrupt when it should be seen on the other side. For a government to consistently go back on its commitment and renege on its promises, all that can be said is that it is highly unbecoming of it and this is going to work to its disadvantage in the days to come.
For a change, India is wide awake now and Anna has given the people a hope of resurrection. Systemic change is what people of India are clamouring for, and if it has to come at the cost of the government, so be it.
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