Anna Hazare: A Messiah or a Political Nonsense?

Anna, the octogenarian and a hero already has been in the headlines for the past few months. He and his team have been under constant focus in the mainstream media. Thousands of people- a majority of them youth: both employed and students have self-recruited themselves as crusaders of corruption. The traditional ‘White Cap’ of  Indian National Movement has got a post-modern revival and decorates every men and women dressed in Jeans and T Shirt picturing the grand old man. Anna is now the demi-God for a small section(who say that they reflect the majority population) of the middleclass population of India.

While this is the projection in the media and in social networks in the internet world, the grand old man and the Leader of Anti-corruption movement Anna Hazare, has indeed left the Government of India contemplate a Legislation – The Lok pal Bill. I do not want to get into the nitty-gritty’s of the proposed bill but just want to record my opinion on the events that unfolded. I have nothing to say about the Team Anna or the media hype. But only consider the centrality of Anna’s movement – Its ideological base as a student of political science.

Why I consider the very movement as Anti-Democratic?

Anna’s only dream, the Lok pal Bill, gets an unique identity than other bills. It is, without any delegation, Anna have suo motu have taken the key functions of a democratic Government, “Legislation” and “Delegated Legislation” in his hand and backed by the supposed power of people forces the Indian Parliament to pass the bill as he wishes. The right to voice dissent against an undemocratic procedure that has been hijacked by Anna Hazare, would not apply for the members of the Parliament as the bill prepared by Anna is almost like God’s Verdict. No one should question it because Anna is supported by people. The Members of Parliament, who have the right to defer the bill, can never dare to do it. They even should not refer it to any sub-committees, because it might anger Anna and his crusaders.

Hijack of Democratic Protests

When Anna has the right to consider the entire collective body of the Government and the Parliament as ‘One Corrupt Organism’ (equally as nonsensical when making sweeping statements ‘Men’ are male chauvinists or Muslims are ‘terrorists’) say the Parliament is wrong in its process of decision making process, it is unfair that Anna denies the legitimacy of the Government and Parliament to retort that ‘Anna is Wrong’ with his proposed bill.

This is the fundamental flaw of Anna’s Movement – for having leading a parallel system of Legislature with vast army of men and women’s popular choice against the foundation of “Publc Interest”, what constitution defines. In India popular choice has never been rational – because the like the stock market’s index, it is driven by sentiments. Again and Again, I am reminded of Antonio Gramsci, at his comment “Subaltern Consciousness seeks imaginary solution for real problems and real solutions for imaginary Problems”. 
Anna, with his crusaders unwittingly seem to invent a fourth organ of the Government apart from Legislature, Executive and the Judiciary, which is by its very construction illogical. It is a mere fantasy - the reason why the mindless section of people join this fantasy.

All in the Game

I see the very announcement by Anna that “I want only Demand Drafts, and not cash for supporting the movement”, is an admission by Anna, the hard realities of financial administration at a lower level. Here too, no one can question Anna, why can’t you accept cash and make reliable people to maintain neat and fool proof accounts? Why do you insist on Cheques and Drafts? When your invention of “Super Humans”, who should enforce Lok Pal Bill, why not the same dream “Super Humans” be invented to maintain your movement’s financial accounts?

There is some substance when congress men say that “Anna, become a MP and come into the Parliament with your team and enrich the bill’.

Orchestrated by the Corporate world and iconized by the Satellite Media and approved by popular interest (as good as the viral “Why this Kolaveri Di Song”) Anna has indeed emerged as a Messiah and dauntlessly ending as a ‘Political Nuisance’.

Getting inspired from Popular protest movements in Eqypt, Libya and in Syria is a wrong example and can never materialize in Indian conditions fro obvious reason of India's vibrant democracy. First let the protesters cast their votes sincerely without staying at home eating and enjoying satellite televisions and then they can speak about restoring democracy in an undemocratic manner. 

(Note: Political Nuisance is not a swear word. It’s just an indicator to illustrate that the very construction of the ideological base for Anna's movement  is flawed and if my assumption is correct, it can never sustain for even another three months. I respect Anna but reject his movement)