A CANDLE IN THE WIND

"Its difficult to take stringent actions against ministers when you are in a coalition government". This is what Rahul Gandhi replied when a student of Lucknow University asked him about his party's ineffectiveness against corruption.

But who knew that four months later a 72- year old, short and shriveled Gandhian would sit on a fast unto death and incinerate the dead spirit of the youth of this country forcing the government to give in to his demands.

The formula of Jan Lokpal Bill advocated by Anna Hazare and his foot-soldiers gleamed a ray of hope amongst the masses. But the war was not over yet as the political fraternity refused to concede to a handful of the so called Civil Society activists.

After a jaw breaking defeat in the first round, the government started the second one with an upper jab right on the face of two most prominent members of the Joint Drafting Committee- the Bhushans. The CD which allegedly contains conversation between expelled Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh, party supremo Mulayam Singh and lawyer Shanti Bhushan indicating attempts of influencing a judge has brought Civil Society on the defensive.

Also the heretical remarks on the propriety of the Bhushans made by Congress' general secretary Digvijay Singh bringing into account the alleged discretionary allotment of land by the Mayawati government to the Bhushans and that too for a song have severely undermined the competence of the committee.

As the government plays footsie with Anna Hazare and other committee members, many cynics have been digging old graves looking for opportunities to settle personal accounts with the lawyer family. In spite of Hazare's clean chit to Bhushans there are voices raised demanding resignation of the two from the committee on moral grounds.

Though the allegations are grave but the timing in which they have risen smacks suspicion. Almost two weeks after the government succumbed to the demands of Anna Hazare, the ghost of land allotment and stamp duty evasion rose from nowhere. Amar Singh who was almost forgotten by the people after his expulsion from the Samajwadi Party has suddenly grabbed the attention of the media with his rhetorics and sarcasm directed towards the Bhushans. The purported CD(authentic or not) that contains a piece of conversation that took place in 2006 has unexpectedly emerged after five years.

Such political chicaneries insinuate the vindictive politics employed by the government to mar the reputation of Civil Society among the masses. The whole hubbub demanding resignation of the two very competent lawyers in the drafting committee implies of an attempt to make the committee weak and vulnerable when facing four of the best lawyers in the country.

Even as the Bhushans show no signs of quitting and the Civil Society backing them up, the tread so far suggest that the road ahead is not smooth for the Jan Lokpal Bill and of course the icon- Anna Hazare.

An article by Gaurav Tripathi produced in the general interest of public by G.A.A.P