Citizen Bane

These are times when everything happening in India is happening in Indian politics. A new wave of awakening has swept across the nation and the general public has decided to stand up against the slack and red tape that over the years have become the hallmark of Indian politics.

Come to think of it, the public outcry is to an extent justified. The government at every instance of the short history of free India, has tried to cut corners, muddled in vote-bank politics, and duly indulged itself in corrupt practices. So the angst had to spill over at some time or the other. Its UPA's plain bad luck, that it has happened in their tenure.

The pubic outcry brings us to the protagonists, Anna Hazare- the ever-smiling, gentle, Nehru -topi clad leader, whose only weapon is non-violence; and Baba Ramdev- the jet-setting Baba, who showed his cards too early and went down as quickly as he had risen up, and that to at midnight.

While Baba Ramdev showed evident lack in leadership qualities, and a past that is riddled with questionable events, he was an easy prey for the government to shoot down.

But Anna Hazare is different, his life is as simple and as devoted to his motherland as his illustrious idol- M.K. Gandhi. As much as the UPA has tried to pin down Anna, he and his civil society brigade have risen from the ashes every single time. And the growing popularity and the authority he commands amongst the masses, make it even more difficult for the current government to resist change.

For its part, the goverment, unfortunately is trying its best to be the bad guy.

Beating up women and children in the middle of the night- this kind of stuff is hand to describe in the context of democracy. CDs claiming civil society members of the lokpal bill to be corrupt and so on...- UPA's reactions appear to be of the knee-jerk kind. They fail to realize that its not a political party they are up against. It is the face of the aam aadmi, that has finally decided to stand up and be counted.

Now its like people look at every movement , listen to every word uttered by a politician with ample amount of suspicion and infinite amount of disgust.

Its seems that people are now determined to remind this government what democracy actually is-of the people, by the people, for the people.

Like I said, exciting times in Indian politics. What do you think?