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| Is Congress led UPA Govt planning to force Anna to beat Ramdev type retreat? | | | Early Times Report
JAMMU, July 29: If not anybody else in the union cabinet it was the Minister for rural development, Jairam Ramesh, who wanted the Prime Minister to be under the Lokpal. Unfortunately his plea could not make any dent in the UPA Government's plan after the Union Finance Minister, Pranab Mukherjee, snubbed Ramesh telling him that the image of the Government was built on its performance and on the work it does and not by keeping the Prime Minister under the Lokpal.
But Ramesh had a point when he, while arguing in favour keeping the Prime Minister under the Lokpal, stated that by doing so the Government will improve its image and convince people that the UPA Government was committed to fight corruption.
The tussle between the team led by Anna Hazare and the Congress led UPA Government is the outcome of ego conflict. The Anna team believes that the majority of people in India are behind it in its crusade against corruption. The Congress led Government does not want to create an impression which could convince people that the Government has stooped before the civil society.
The Congress led Government possibly believes that since it has already won the first round of the battle against the Yoga Guru, Baba Ramdev,it would not be difficult to handle a lesser mortal, Anna, than Ramdev.
No doubt the Government has accepted 34 out of 40 principles suggested by Anna Hazare team which should have been a matter of achievement and satisfaction for the Hazare led team. The two sides differ on five points.
While the Hazare team wants Prime Minister, Supreme Court and High Court judges and all central Government employees to be under the Lokpal the cabinet is opposed to keeping PM, judiciary and all central Government employees under the Lokpal. It wants official of under secretary rank and above under Lokpal.
Reports do suggest that Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, had offered to be under the Lokpal but the cabinet members, except Jairam Ramesh, opposed it.
Political analysts are of the opinion that had Manmohan Singh asserted his authority as head of the cabinet he cold have succeeded in bringing the Prime Minister under the Lokpal. As far as the level of honesty and integrity is concerned Manmohan Singh is one among the rarest politicians who have untainted record. Some equate Manmohan Singh with Lal Bahadur Shastri as far as honesty, simplicity and integrity were concerned. Hence Manmohan Singh had nothing to feel scared of. And once again Manmohan Singh has displayed that he was, as Anna has said, under a remote control.
One thing is certain that had the Government included Prime Minister under the Lokpal it would have deprived the Anna Hazare team of the sting it has in its campaign against the Congress led Government.
Even if the UPA Government is able to force Anna Hazare to beat a hasty retreat like Ramdev or the situation taks an ugly turn once Anna starts his fast the Congress and none else will lose whatever image it has been left with. May be Anna's fast could herald the beginning of severe erosion in the Congress because Hazare is not vulnerable to IT and CBI probes.
Let Manmohan assert himself an as Prime Minister force the cabinet to accept team Anna's demand for keeping Prime Minister under the Lokpal. Rest of the demands of the civil society seem to many somewhat impracticable. |
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