The Independence Day speech this year by the iconic PM of
India befittingly broke the confines of bulletproof glass as also the shackles
of a neatly typed out speech. And hence it comes as a surprise that the
PM chose to remain silent on the biggest malaise afflicting the citizens at
large, sapping their vitality and putting them in dire straitjackets! He
had no comments to offer or promises to make on the twin evils of widespread
corruption and criminalization of politics. Same goes for the mind
boggling figures of black money stashed overseas. Was it not the pent up frustration of the
public with the mounting corruption that led to a decisive rejection of
Congress and a majority for BJP? The very atypical conciliatory notes in
complimenting all the previous governments in bringing the country to where it
stands today (!) also come as no little surprise. Didn't Modi thunder his
way to a total majority by crying himself hoarse about what the Congress
governments have done to the country over six decades? And he is so overawed
by the competence and knowledge of the all-pervasive bureaucracy that he
doesn't have even a word of advice to them to work as humble public servants under
the Pradhan Sevak? The only criticism he had for the earlier government
and the top bureaucracy was a lack of coordination that manifested itself as
multiple governments within a single government. I cannot figure out what
to make of such mushy statements coming from someone hailed as the Iron Man!
Will such pacifist attitude ever enable us to weed out corruption in
places high and low, and steep deterioration in the sphere of politics?
Again, it is quite okay to chide the citizenry for their
unhygienic habits, lack of toilets and discrimination against girl children. But
are these also not manifestations of poor governance and total lack of
accountability on the part of the government machinery? Have governments
provided dustbins at public places for disposal of garbage? Do we have
enough public toilets in public places even in the cities? Don't we have
to charter our course carefully when going on an outing with the family so that
we return to our home or a place with a clean toilet in time? How many
parents and doctors have been penalized for aborting female fetuses or for
giving dowry or deaths related to dowry? I am sorry to say so but such
exhortations remind me of knee-jerk reactions from local corporators when
approached with a complaint about poor sanitation. They would lecture you
on hygiene and cleanliness and add that if everyone could keep the drain and
the sidewalk in front of his own house clean, there would be no need to
complain!
A friend who shares the worry has something positive to
comment in the matter. He says, “….. he
is a pragmatic person. He knows that corruption is so interwoven into the
fabric of our society that if starts to pull out those skeins, the entire
fabric may come undone. He has to do it gingerly. This is the best
explanation I can offer. Time will tell. How things change at the ground level
will ultimately decide if he has been working on corruption too.”
However such gingerly approach and caution was conspicuously
absent when dealing with the appointment of a retired bureaucrat, or in
dismissing a particular governor for misdeeds, or in changing the Collegium
system for appointments in the judiciary after a particular claimant was vetoed
out. How come that strong, swift and
decisive actions are warranted only when someone has crossed the path of
someone powerful but not on life-and-death issues facing the country? Are we witnessing a resurrection of Indira
Gandhi?
Like most of us, I have great hopes from the PM. And I do hope that my apprehensions and I are
proved decisively wrong. And yet I
cannot help wondering whether we made a mistake in rejecting the AAP
phenomenon. We turned it into a sinking
ship that is gradually being abandoned by all but a handful.
