OPINION

The Right - Who's Prerogative it is ?
Ravindra Shetty K
The war against corruption waged by Anna Hazare and Baba Ramdev is known to the whole world. However, some politicians for whom corruption is a way of life have been questioning the rights of the two in waging such a war. Their notion is that “ Anna Hazare is a social worker. His duty is to eradicate the evils in the society. There is the Parliament and the Parliamentarians to raise voice against corruption. It is the elected representatives who are to decide on the black money issue. There is no need for social workers to bother about this. Neither have they the right to do so.”
Similar is the view of such politicians on Baba Ramdev’s agitation. According to their view point “Baba Ramdev is after all a Yoga Guru. He has business empire of Ayurveda. Why is he interested in correcting the bend in the government instead of bending his body and teaching Yoga?. Why has he intervened in politics instead of teaching Yoga,” they question the Baba.
Aren’t the politicians saying the right thing ? If that is the case, myself, a journalist will have no right to protest. Even a daily wager, a factory worker, a farmer or a man pursuing any other profession, be it an autorickshaw or bus driver, a software engineer, a doctor or a lecturer, does not have any right to raise voice against corruption. This is what the revered politicians of this nation are trying to convey. In case we do so, then it is ‘treachery.’
There is every reason for this. Don’t we exercise our franchise in the elections held once in five years , sometimes even untimely elections, thanks to the dirty politics of some dirty politicians. Doesn’t our responsibility end then and there itself? Why should we question the politicians ? Once we have handed over the responsibility of ruling this nation to these politicians, is there any need to question them ?
Recently at Rajghat in Delhi, Anna Hazare has given a clarion call to Indians to be prepared for a second freedom struggle. His words are thought provoking. “ Sevak, Maalik Ban Gaya Hey, Ye Daurbhagya Hey.” (Our servant has turned our boss, it’s our misfortune.”)
Here Anna Hazare has reminded us of a fact which we, the civil society, and the politicians who are under the illusion that they have the right to rule us, have coveniently forgotten. In a democracy, the citizen is the king - all the people residing in this land, right from the labourer to those holding top posts including Baba Ramdev and Anna Hazare. Then, what does it mean to say that Baba Ramdev or Anna have no right ?
It is because of such an attitude of the government that a ‘servant’ called Janardhan Dwivedi was cautioned by a ‘king’ called Sunil Kumar by taking his slippers in his hands. The result, the ‘servant’ pushed the ‘king’ and even kicked him. This is nothing but a mockery of democracy.
There is none to bother if people like us protest against any government action on our own or by joining hands with a few others. We may have to taste the lathi and land behind bars if we try to resort to a rail roko or rasta roko. The government has failed in its attempts to suppress the Satyagriha of Anna Hazare. Anna Hazare has himself revealed that a supari was given for Rs 40 lakhs to finish him off in Rajghat, but the person who received the supari on knowing about his target, had returned the supari amount saying he did not intend to earn by eliminating a man like Anna Hazare who had nothing. This is suffice to realize the extent to which our politicians who run the government, can stoop low.
What is the real motive of the Congress government which through its mid-night crackdown on Baba Ramdev’s peaceful Satyagriha venue, has put the British who ruled India for over hundred years, to shame? Even the protest of Baba Ramdev was peaceful as that of Anna Hazare. Political pundits now argue that there was a ploy by the Congress behind its midnight operation after it felt embarrassed by the Satyagriha. The Union Government has been successful in projecting this movement famed as the people’s fight against government’s corruption, as a movement of the BJP and Sangh Parivar against the government. The Congress and its agents have been arguing since long that Baba Ramdev was an RSS agent. The Congress was aware that the BJP would take to the streets against the midnight crackdown. This was what the Congress wanted. The movement was labeled as the ‘communal’ agenda of the BJP. It seems the Congress thought that it has succeeded to some extent in reducing the heat of the movement centered around corruption and black money.
Whatever it is, Baba Ramdev should protest within the legal framework of the Constitution. His statement with regard to forming an own army for self-defence, would be a hasty step. This will disturb peace. Neither there was the need for him to jump down the dais and vanish among the thick crowd to escape from the police. It would also be wrong to expect early results in a fight against corruption and black money. On the one hand there is the government which is shielding corruption and corrupt people and on the other there is the question of ethics of those who are in the opposition and are fighting against the government. There needs to be tremendous patience in the fight against corruption. It is impossible to bring about a political change through a sudden uprising in a nation that spread the message of peace to the world. Probably, corruption can be eradicated, if there is a people’s movement against the evil motive of the politicians and if there is scope for the public to choose their representatives.
But corruption is an evil that is deep-rooted in the human society. We cannot forget that it makes its presence felt in different forms and shape on various occasions.