Minutes after he made a sudden appearance in the Lok Sabha on Friday to profound his idea of Lokpal as a constitutional body, Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi told reporters outside Parliament House that, “it’s a game changing idea.”
Certainly, it was more than just proposing a new concept of Lokpal. He has, in fact, infused a new aggression in the Congress, which appeared to be floundering in the last few days because of differences within its core group.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has looked helpless, amid disagreement among his ministers on how to tackle the crisis caused by Anna Hazre’s fast since August 16.
Anna was first arrested and then later allowed to stage a sit-in at the Ramlila ground as the government buckled at the sight of a popular surge.
But Gandhi’s intervention now is intended to resolve this “helplessness” of the government, and its dilemma over acting tough and conciliatory at the same time.
Gandhi’s call for making the Lokpal into a constitutional body like the Election Commission is entirely a new ball game, say Congress leaders and activists alike.
It also means Gandhi has overruled the Prime Minister’s plan for further concessions to Anna Hazre and his team.
Already, the government was blaming Anna’s team members, Prashant Bhushan, Arvind Kejriwal and Kiran Bedi, for Anna not giving up his fast despite the government buckling down and the PM getting Parliament to make an appeal to Anna Hazre to call off the fast.
After all, since Thursday night, senior ministers have been upset that Anna’s team resumed parleys with other Opposition parties, the BJP and the Left, to garner support for their Jan Lokpal Bill.
Senior ministers led by Pranab Mukherjee and Salman Khurshid, who were hitherto seen as “softliners”, pointing to statements of Swami Agnivesh and former Supreme Court judge Santosh Hegde (who wanted Anna to call off the fast) to show that the real “villains” were his aides and not Anna.
By breaking his silence, Gandhi has set terms for the government to resolve the crisis. Basically, he does not want any further concession for Anna’s team to end the fast and, if necessary, the government must adopt a hard line to end the crisis.
Gandhi sees greater danger in the agitation of Anna, which the Congress party had not been willing to openly acknowledge. “We speak of a statutory Lok Pal but our discussions cease at the point of its accountability to the people and the risk that it might itself become corrupt. Why not elevate the debate and fortify the Lok Pal by making it a Constitutional body accountable to Parliament like the Election Commission of India? I feel the time has come for us to seriously consider this idea,” he said in the Lok Sabha.
The second point, Gandhi made was, “laws and institutions are not enough. A representative, inclusive and accessible democracy is central to fighting corruption. Individuals have brought our country great gains. They have galvanized people in the cause of freedom and development.”
But Gandhi added, “However, individual dictates, no matter how well intentioned, must not weaken the democratic process. This process is often lengthy and lumbering. But it is so in order to be inclusive and fair. It provides a representative and transparent platform where ideas are translated into laws.”
One thing is clear that Gandhi has poured cold water over Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s political initiative to resolve the issue.
By offering to debate the Jan Lokpal bill of Anna’s team and other proposals (in this regard given) of civil rights activists Aruna Roy and Jayaprakash in Parliament, the PM sought to reopen a new dialogue process with the agitators.
But the PM’s proposal, which was bold by his standard, met with roadblocks because Anna refused to give up his fast till he saw the outcome of the debate in Parliament.
On the other hand, the government wanted the fast to be over before the debate started in Parliament.
With Anna refusing to give in, the government did not list the debate on Lokpal in the day’s business in either Rajya Sabha or Lok Sabha. later, it decided to ask Congress MPs to file notices for a debate.
Gandhi made his dramatic appearance and chose to make a special mention in the House before the debate to make his point. He could have waited for the debate to begin and then had his say. Perhaps, Gandhi wanted to make his point before the debate so that the government too understands what it must do. Earlier, it tried unsuccessfully to persuade Anna to end his hunger strike first.
Gandhi’s body language conveyed a tough line to the Congress leaders and the civil rights activists alike.
Gandhi’s note of warning was that “A tactical incursion, divorced from the machinery of an elected Government that seeks to undo the checks and balances created to protect the supremacy of Parliament sets a dangerous precedent for a democracy. Today the proposed law is against corruption. Tomorrow the target may be something less universally heralded. It may attack the plurality of our society and democracy.”
Gandhi is leaving no one in doubt that the agitation across the country will undermine the Congress’ political plans and must be nipped in the bud.