Parliament is dead; long live the Parliament.

                                                 Parliament is dead; long live the Parliament.

I am not a celebrity, nor am I one of the Mango people deprived of the basic comforts essential to lead a decent life.  I am a middle class educated professional with no special claims to be heard or be written about. But what I say below is an echo of many others like me- and in that respect I am one of the Common Man (aam-admi) even if I do not fully subscribe to the order of Mango people.

I am sad- no, that is not correct as that would mean I am beyond consolation.

I am depressed- no, that is also not correct as that would mean I am vanquished beyond hope of recovery

I am angry- no - that is not correct as that would mean some degree of affinity with the person I am angry with and I have no affinity with anyone to be cross with.

No, the truth is I am simply frightened, shattered and paralyzed witnessing our rapid descent towards anarchy. There is nothing to hold us back as we have lost respect for our secular Bible- the Constitution of India. For 65 years the Constitution was a bulwark against anti-democratic forces. Thanks to the Constitution framed by legal luminaries, we did not go  the Chinese way opting for a single party rule nor for the military dictatorship of Pakistan( though even today their parliamentary governance is handmaiden to the Army) nor the Presidential form of democracy of USA, but followed the Westminster form of Parliamentary democracy. We had enjoyed for six decades after independence a reasonably good democracy that was built upon the Constitution to establish the structure, procedures, powers, and duties of government institutions, and to set out fundamental rights, directive principles, and the duties of citizens. Freedom of speech was one of the rights it bestowed on the people of India. For almost six and a half decades, our democracy had been sustained by our veneration of the Constitution as the Supreme Law of India. Parliament, judiciary, Legislative Assembly and all institutions set up by the Act of Parliament held the country together that bestowed individual freedom on its people to vote in and vote out members of Parliament every five years.  We accepted the Acts legislated by the Parliament, we respected the institutions mainly the judiciary, we resolved our differences within the laws framed by the Constitution and we governed ourselves as a democratic nation.

Today all these sacred institutions have become suspect. Corruption has become stubbornly endemic and pervasive among all sections of our society. Nothing gets done without the exchange of pelf. Corruption has become a way of life. Those who do not accept or offer bribes were regarded as aliens from an archaic past. (I recall one of the political members on our college Governing Body( today the lady is top among the  upper echelons of her party)  speaking disparagingly about my refusal to do the party’s bidding in appointments and admissions saying ‘that she will neither eat nor will allow others to eat’. This was stated in her trademark impeccable Hindi.)  

Corruption is not uniquely an Indian phenomenon.  It is in most parts of the world including the developed countries in the West,  but the difference is in the West corruption does not meet with social approval.  Meghnad Desai says, corruption is as Indian as daal-chawal because everyone specially from  the middle class at some point of time has been guilty of giving –if not accepting bribe –to get things done. Henc e it is ironic that these very same people are lending support to the crusade against corruption. The result is corruption has become a potent tool to settle scores with one’s adversaries. This is the most pernicious form of corruption- corruption of the moral fibre of the nation. 

India against corruption started off well under Anna Hazare to pitchfork corruption centrestage. But Anna has found to his dismay that many of those who joined him at Jantar Mantar had many a times compromised on moral principles. The hysterical shout against corruption was a strategic means to deflect attention from their own personal questionable dealings.  When Arvind hijacked Anna ‘s revolution and arrived on stage, Anna withdrew. The ABC of this movement Arvind, Bhushan and Sisodia(where’s’ is pronounced ‘c’ as in’sea’)have launched  a vitriolic attack on parliamentarians as part of a well calculated strategy to show to the world that everyone in India except they and their fledgling group is corrupt. They pronounced from the stage that they have evidence against 15 cabinet ministers and against any number of opposition leaders for their fraudulent dealings involving crores of money. It does not matter if it is 1880 crores (that  Namo, the Incomparable alleged about Mrs.G’s travel –cum-health expenses-though not by ABC) or a smaller sum of 71 lakhs that Salman Khurshid is alleged to have stashed away among equipment for the differently- abled people, the moot point is to make serious allegations so that they tarnish the reputation of all those the trio despises and put the onus on their ‘adversaries’ to prove their innocence. The draft reports surreptitiously accessed by the Media (by bribing the officials concerned) are shown as the final report to malign those named in the report. Having been an Income Tax officer, Arvind knows too well that the draft CAG report is always sent to the party in question for its replies and the final report is then made and signed and sent to the authorities concerned for further action, if needed.  Since the allegations are full of innuendoes and insinuations with or without substantive evidence, it is apparent that the motive  is to cast aspersions and malign his adversaries. ABC does not want to lodge a FIR against the corrupt Ministers and high fliers, for they do not trust the judiciary, do not trust the executive authority, do not trust the Government because everyone is corrupt. Only ABC alone is the truth bearer of this nation. ABC has set a dangerous precedent of making sweeping charges on quarter truths and three fourths lies.  Arvind may be right in his espousal ( time will tell), but such a free for all is fraught with danger as anyone can exercise his freedom of speech and his right to air charges from the street corners. The TV towers have turned towers of Babel where accusation and counter accusations spoken in high decibel drown everything in a  cacophony of  noise.

It has taken many years for our leaders who were in the forefront of the freedom struggle to build our constitution and democratic institutions but it has taken less than three weeks for the ABC to destroy them. The trio wants people’s courts on the streets and the media to conduct trial and pronounce judgements.  Can there be a better and swifter way to let loose anarchy?

ABC has fine tuned the art of fighting on the streets. The  ABC looks at parliament as a house  of thugs( and ironically he wants to get elected to its office) ,courts  full of self seekers, the bureaucracy swarming with dishonest officers ( though  he himself was a bureaucrat), all organizations  suspect and there is no one in this functioning democracy who can be trusted.  ABC wants to shape the nation’s policies by giving voice to the people and expects theirs to be the distilled voice of wisdom.  

Where does this leave Arvind and his fledgling political party? He wants to get elected to parliament which he holds in utter contempt today. Will he lead the country or will he allow people to rule from the streets as he has shown the way.  No institution can function if multiple voices are given the freedom to direct its activities. ABC seems to believe that  espousal of corruption is a magic wand that will solve all the ills of the country. Manna, honey  and milk will flow through the land and everyone will be assured of his/her share and Ram Rajya will  be once again brought back.  Since no constitutional body as it exists today is trust worthy, the people’s darbar will deliberate on all issues- home, defence, finance, food, foreign policies etc and govern the nation from the streets. The army will march not to the command of a general but to the direction of every Jawan who is a  part of the aam-admi. The Ministries will function to the policies enacted on the streets. Schools, colleges and universities will function according to what every individual  desires for his/her ward .We will showcase to the world a vibrant democracy that functions from its streets. I do not know what role ABC will play .Will they preside over the people in which case what happens to people’s power?  Will they seek their vote in which case they have to once again bring back all the constitutional bodies that had been vilified by them now.

 ABC believes in fomenting anarchy for utopia to follow. But the frightening question is can the country be rescued once anarchy sets in?

I am frightened to see Parliament brought to the streets. I am frightened for whom will ABC toll today, tomorrow, day after and day day after. I hope and pray ‘that it does not toll  for me’ for my blasphemous writing.

I am frightened to hear ABC’s obituaries on Parliament. Yes, I am frightened because no one dares to  say  “Parliament is dead ;  Long live our Parliament.”