Anti Corruption - a Fascist script

Anti Corruption - a Fascist script
With the nation enjoying a brief respite from the ‘Annddas’ and Anna’rchists that had hijacked almost every information channel for almost a fortnight, the nation is finally relieved that Parliamentary democracy finally prevailed over the blackmail tactics of the fascist forces. The nation was saved from a crisis which could have well resulted in a collapse of the Government and the burden of a mid-term poll. It is now time to unmask the forces behind the Anti-corruption movement which the media has prevented from being manifested in the arena of public debate. The media fraudulently delegated Team Anna with the mandate of an over one billion Indian people.

Corruption as a Political Agenda
It goes without saying that the electoral propaganda of those politically opposed to the Congress Party has by and large always revolved around the issue of ‘Corruption’. “C for Congress and C for Corruption” is a familiar slogan used by some political parties. It was this anti-corruption plank in 1998-99 that had succeeded in installing the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), in which BJP was a major player, to break the uninterrupted rule of the Congress party. If one compares the present build-up of public frenzy over the corruption issue by the media with that of 1998-99, there is hardly much difference. The Congress Government gets portrayed as the source of all evils in this country. Aberrations here and there in governance are blown out of proportion and dumped onto one single political group.
The alternative to the Congress then presented in 1998-99 was the BJP with its moderate face, Atal Behari Vajpayee, who like the present media installed deity Anna Hazare, got portrayed as a Brahmachari and as a dedicated leader who has sacrificed every comfort for the sake of this nation. The pathetic state of the moderate Brahmachari encircled by opportunistic vultures became evident no sooner the NDA was in Government. The integrity of this nation was compromised at Kandahar and the empty bravado of a Nationalist Government was exposed by Pakistan in the Kargil war. The war was ultimately won by India but not without a huge cost of man and machinery. And we cannot how they even made money on the coffins procured for the dead
Instead of ridding India from economic corruption, the nation was gradually being pushed into ideological and moral corruption. The US in-roads into the Indian economy were thrown wide open. Another wound was inflicted on this Democratic and Secular Republic with the Godhra riots in 2002. The nation’s brain washing with public money through a media campaign about ‘India Shinning’ only exposed the celebrations of a pro-corporate mindset. With just one term in government the Indian electorate realized the hollowness of the BJP led NDA political outfit when it came to tackling corruption. The NDA was booted out in 2004 and the Congress Party was returned to power by the people of this nation. So for those urban elitist mindsets in the anti-corruption movement who consider rural masses as asses, it needs to be recalled that it is the very rural masses that punished a despotic PM Indira Gandhi in 1974-75 and then the NDA in 2004, amply demonstrating that the Indian voters are not fools.

Issues and Elections
India’s Political Parties are known to approach elections with populistic issues rather than with any ideology. For the Right-wing political outfits, the Hindutva plank of ‘Ram Mandir’ issue has paid rich political dividends but not beyond a point that was sufficient to get them to power. The ‘Italian Bahu’ fear psychosis that was unleashed no sooner Sonia Gandhi took over the reigns of the Congress Party and was projected as the next probable PM by the media, had also not helped generate much hype as would be necessary to impact the elections in 2004. The NDA drama over Sonia Gandhi becoming the PM was disrupted in one stroke by installing Dr. Manmohan Singh in the seat. The price rise issue that also got the support of politically frustrated Leftist groups has also not captured the imagination of the people beyond a point. The Congress rode to power for a second consecutive term in the 2009 elections, with Dr. Manmohan Singh’s face in the foreground. So the only option left for the opposition is to tarnish the public image of the Congress PM, Dr. Manmohan Singh and blunt the political threat from Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.
Similarly, the nation also cannot forget that the calculations circulating in the media about black money in Swiss banks is the work of right-wing groups with Baba Ramdev popularizing the issue. But, the recent exposure of the 2G scam and CWG scam, again the handiwork of the opposition to portray the Congress Party in poor light, has managed to excite some feelings of resentment in urban India. Thanks to the relentless propaganda by private Indian made Foreign TV channels. Unfortunately, the manner in which the Congress led UPA Government handled the scams has only helped in lowering it’s public image, thus offering a perfect opportunity for the anti-Congress forces to mount an attack. Yet, all political parties know that this anti-corruption euphoria will not be sufficient to ensure a significant addition to the united opposition’s vote share in the 2014 polls as compared to that of the UPA.
Exploiting the public sentiment
With the Congress Party’s public image having presently been marginally dented, the opposition parties see this as the only opportunity to exploit the sentiments of the electorate if they are to try out that remote chance of riding back to power. This current anti-Congress wave in cities could be exploited only by bringing about an early election on this nation. But, the very precedent set by the Right-wing forces to project Vajpayee as PM in 1998 against a Congress that shied away from projecting it’s PM, has now come to haunt the rudderless party today. It is here that a Manmohan Singh as PM would continue to be more preferred by the nation, than the present set of leaders like Advani, Gadkari, Jaitley or Sushma. The Brahmachari Vajpayee is too old with constraints of mobility for him to be resurrected in politics. For the opposition, projecting an acceptable non-corrupt leader of whom the nation would be unsuspecting and be willing to dance around like in 1998 is the desperate need of the hour. It is here that Anna Hazare, the ex-army driver and so claimed Brahmachari like A B Vajpayee, from a little known village of Raleigaon Siddhi has been propped up to heighten the anti-Congress frenzy; his ‘Gandhian’ label highlighted to conceal the identity of the script-writers and minimize his repulsion by the anti-BJP-RSS forces.


Deciphering the Fascist script
The carefully engineered anti-corruption campaign by right-wing leaning techies and electronic media crew and celluloid celebrities could not remain concealed for long. The huge portrait of the Bharat Mata and a tiny Gandhiji at the Jantar Mantar venue of Anna’s first fast for a Jan Lok Pal Bill raised enough suspicions about the real architects behind the anti-corruption crusade. It appears that Anna was not to be allowed to be given prominence beyond a point. The euphoria generated by Anna hazare was sought to be capitalized upon by the fascist fringe which launched the Baba Ramdev’s anti-corruption theatre performance with elements of Ayodhya fame jumping onto the dais. As the pitch of the Baba’s theatrics rose and threatened peace, the administration was forced to abort the movement. The Baba was caught fleeing in woman’s garments which only complicated matters for the fascist script-writers. The fascists seemed to have little options but to fall back on Team Anna for a 16 August assault on democracy. From then on it was clear that the Anna Team never wanted a peaceful resolution to the problem. What relevance did the anti-Congress slogans raised at various venues across the country have with the Anti-Corruption movement?
Unreasonable demands and deadlines for passing a Jan Lok Pal Bill by ignoring Constitutional Parliamentary procedures were used to try and curtail options for the ruling Congress Government. The Government was ultimately being cornered with a choice between the devil and the deep blue sea, either approve the Jan Lok Pal Bill by 30 August or the PM must quit. And as the controls seemed to be slipping out of the hands of right-wing forces with the new media deity against corruption grabbing undue public acceptance we had the disclosure by the nervous right-wing fanatic groups reminding everyone that 10% of their volunteers are supporting the crusade. This to many, is too humble a claim as it was amply evident that the presence of right-wing forces was much larger if one is to consider the followers of the Babas and Swamy’s along with rightist student unions that were pressed into service at Ram Lila grounds and across the cities. The Babas and Swamys were made to reappear among the assembled crowds to distract the attention of the public. But God saved the country and the UPA managed to pull out some tricks and negotiate for a temporary truce. However, Anna’s mood to fan the flames of distrust against the duly elected Parliament and provoke the Congress Government into reacting has become even more evident in his speech on his return to Ralegaon. The script would never have been any different even if Anna was allowed to go to JP park. In fact, puncturing that plan by shifting the drama to Tihar jail may have saved the nation of much graver consequences.

Nothing Gandhian About It
The ploy of the right-wing groups to exploit the name of Gandhi needs to be condemned. There is absolutely nothing Gandhian in the anti-corruption crusade. Just wearing of ‘topis’ is not Gandhism. The idea behind the satyagraha and fast of M. Gandhi has been distorted. What is presently being resorted to in the name of Satyagraha amounts to coercion and verbal violence. Though the Anti–corruption crusade has caused an awakening of anger against the political establishment there is no self-awakening within every citizen to desist from acts of corruption of any sort. Even if provoked by the Government, Mahatma Gandhi would never have abused Elected Representatives in the way the Anna Team has been doing. Gandhiji’s Satyagraha and fasting was all about self-cleansing which had the possibility converting the opponent. It was about ‘Soul Force’. The role models like Bhagat Singh and Rajguru as worshipped by Anna Hazare have no place in Gandhiji’s teachings of non-violence but are very much relevant for militant right- wing and left-wing groups. The repeated parallels drawn between the Freedom struggle and the Anti-corruption movement is again mischievous. There is no definite ideology and philosophy of Anna Hazare as one finds in Mahatma Gandhi. All one can see is a pseudo-Gandhian with a Topi and white kurta pyjama , his age repeatedly proclaimed on TV channels, arousing the emotions of the people to revolt against a democratically elected government. And it is in this context one must analyse the anguish of Swamy Agnivesh’s conversations doing the rounds and propaganda against him of being a betrayer. The secular forces began to sense the subtle provocation of the public for a rebellion to overthrow the Congress government.
Now that the pseudo- Gandhian is surrounded by ‘Z’ security cover, he has begun to feel nervous as his future planning with the fascists will be disrupted. With as many as 40 Dalit and Minority groups now rising to make their voice heard on the Lok Pal Bill, the days to come will reveal the true colours of the entire Anti-corruption Crusade. The assault on Indian democracy will now be shifted to dictating so-called electoral reforms. Attempts will be made to keep the Anna mania alive only till the 2014 elections. But the citizens of this nation are not ‘Annddas’.
-Soter