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| Kashmir weakening Anna's movement against corruption | | Meeting With Rahul | | Rustam
JAMMU, Oct 17: Only recently, social activist Anna Hazare attracted enormous publicity and attention from across the country and even on a global scale for the crusade he launched against corruption. His methodology and appeal were so effective that all, barring the corrupt, swung solidly behind him. His was a spectacular feat considering the fact that he had no organization of his. Notwithstanding this limitation, Anna's crusade against corruption produced some tangible results, the most important being the assurance held out by the Parliament that an effective Lokpal legislation would be enacted in the ensuing winter session.
And, just at a time when it appeared that he would accomplish his goal, some of his team members indulged in activities which created doubts in the minds of the people about Anna and his team. So much so that one of the prominent members of his team Prashant Bhushan queered his pitch across the country by suggesting a plebiscite in Kashmir to find if the Muslims of Kashmir wanted to be part of India or wanted to go out of it. He was beaten up and thrashed in his own chamber on October 12. Anna and other members of his team denounced the attack on Prashant but did not question what the votary of plebiscite in Kashmir had said from the Anna's platform. This outraged the nation. Convinced that he had gone wrong, Anna dissociated himself from what Prashant had said saying what the latter said were not the views of India Against Corruption. He said Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India and he will lay down his life for Kashmir.
Some prominent members of his team also distanced themselves from what Prashant had said about Kashmir. At the same time, however, Arvind Kejriwal, Kiran Bedi and Medha Patekar stated and restated that Prashant would remain an integral part of the Anna's core committee. This aggravated the situation with the integrationists questioning the very credibility and credentials of Anna and his team and demanding expulsion of Prashant from the team. Anna now says that the core committee would meet soon and take a final decision on Prashant.
Anna, who would observe silence for a week or so reportedly for health reasons, had perhaps hoped that his observations on Prashant would help end the controversy, but it has not happened. Controversy continues to rage across the country. In the meantime, two additional developments have created more difficulties for Anna. There are cogent reasons to feel that these developments, which unfolded yesterday in Srinagar and New Delhi, respectively could result in the collapse of the entire movement Anna built up over the period through his effective, inspiring and skillful leadership.
What happened yesterday? Medha Patekar visited Srinagar and condemned the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) as the "most vulgar and brutal" legislation. In other words, she joined those in Kashmir who have been demanding withdrawal of the AFSPA, the Disturbed Areas Act (DAA) and the Army from Kashmir since years now. And, it was expected of her. After all, she, like Prashant, is a staunch supporter of Kashmiri separatists and Maoists/Naxalites. What she said at Srinagar further vindicated those who had been saying that Anna was playing with dangerous tools and that his association with the likes Bhushan and Patekar would prove counter-productive. This was the first development that took place at Srinagar in the morning.
The other development was the decision of Anna to send his men to New Delhi to meet Rahul Gandhi and discuss the Lokpal bill/Jan Lokpal bill with him. There are also reports that there could be a one-on-one meeting between him and Rahul Gandhi. The people of the country are unlikely to appreciate the Anna's mind-boggling decision. It would only provoke them to denounce him for downgrading the level of dialogue but also dismiss him as an agent of the Congress party. There were people who had in the past expressed the view that Anna was enacting a drama of sorts at the behest of Sonia Gandhi to help out the corrupt Congress-led UPA Government and help prepare ground that would, in turn, help her dislodge Manmohan Singh and appoint her son, Rahul Gandhi, as Prime Minister.
The fact is that Anna is surrounded by persons some of whom want New Delhi to organize plebiscite in and withdraw the anti-terror laws from Kashmir and this association between him and the likes of Prashant and Patekar would surely deflate the Anna's movement against corruption. Similarly, his meeting or meeting of his men with Rahul Gandhi would send a wrong signal and make people believe that his anti-Congress utterances were part of the grand strategy devised by him in association with Sonia's men. All this doesn't augur well for the country. Anna needs to expel the like of Bhushan and Patekar in the larger interest and he also needs to maintain distance from Rahul Gandhi whose party, like Bhushan and Patekar, is responsible for promoting secessionism in Kashmir.
It's a difficult time for Anna. The very credibility of Anna is at stake. People have already started questioning his decision to observe silence for an indefinite period and giving a political colour to his decision to start negotiations with Rahul Gandhi whose outfit is involved in corruption from head to toe and which is responsible for the Kashmir mess. Let's see what Anna does to assuage the hurt feeling of people. |
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