NEWS ANALYSIS Neither UPA nor NDA is keen on conceding political space to civil society groups
On Monday, the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance, by ignoring three ultimatums issued by Baba Ramdev, sent out the message that it was not going to engage with him: the government intended following the strategy it adopted with Team Anna, which ended its fast earlier this month, “responding” to the call of a bunch of high-profile sympathisers not to risk the lives of Anna Hazare and his followers. The Congress, party sources said, has learnt from the bitter lessons of last year, when every interaction with civil society groups only served to energise them.
On the other hand, with top leaders of three key National Democratic Alliance parties — the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Janata Dal (United) and the Shiromani Akali Dal — and representatives of two unattached parties, the Telugu Desam Party and the Biju Janata Dal, sharing the Ramdev platform on Monday, the yoga guru got some ballast for his movement against black money. Later, leading his followers in a march to Parliament, Ramdev ensured an honourable end to a fast that was not getting the response he had envisioned. The government, on its part, treated the matter as a law and order issue — and the police took the yoga teacher and his followers into preventive custody.
‘Mask is off’
Indeed, the Congress went on the offensive: Team Anna and Baba Ramdev are providing the facade behind which the BJP-led NDA is operating, the ruling Congress alleged, pointing to the presence of NDA leaders at the Ramlila Maidan, where he had been sitting on fast. Congress media chairperson Janardan Dwivedi, asked why his party had not responded to Ramdev’s call on black money, said: “Today, the masks have fallen and the real faces have been revealed.” The Congress leader also took a swipe at Team Anna: “Whose fight this is, is also becoming clear. Their other partners, who had announced the formation of a party, have said … that they will not contest in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh, but in Delhi. Whose face is this?” The BJP is in power in Gujarat and Himachal, while the Congress is ruling Delhi.
‘Only issued-based support’
In the NDA camp, its leaders said privately that their support was “issue-based,” and that while they were happy to back anything that would embarrass the UPA, they were not interested in a closer relationship. Curiously, while the UPA and the NDA — and, for that matter, other opposition parties — are squaring up to each other, and the UPA’s many constituents, including the Congress, admit that the anti-graft agitations has damaged it, neither of the two national alliances is keen on conceding political space to the civil society groups.
If the NDA leaders spoke from the Ramlila Maidan, leaders of the UPA’s supporting parties, the Bahujan Samaj Party and the Samajwadi Party, were more circumspect. The BSP’s Mayawati, while pressing the government to take steps to bring back black money stashed away abroad, made it clear she supported only those anti-corruption agitations “that were above party politics.” The SP’s Mulayam Singh, extending support for the issue, refused to comment on Ramdev's description of the UPA as “a sinking ship,” while his party colleague, Ram Gopal Yadav, was scathing about the NDA: “People who don’t trust their cadres and feel that they can’t win elections without support of others only do such things. I will not go to any such stage.”
Meanwhile, though most Congressmen desisted from commenting on the presence of the former Army chief on Ramdev’s platform, Captain Praveen Davar, secretary of the party’s ex-servicemen’s department, issued a strong statement: “Gen. V.K. Singh, by associating with a ‘Saffron Swami’ whose links with the RSS are well known, has rendered another disservice to the image of the Army … respected the world over not only for its matchless valour and professionalism, but also for its secular credentials.”
Who-ever interested in eradication of corruption, will support the
Baba Ramdev's agitation against the corruption & black-money. It is
time for the honest leaders in the Parliament and Assemblies and
outside NGOs and other social activists to keep watch on the corrupt
fellows in their parties and the various organisations to sideline
them by enlightening the common man of the activities of such corrupt
people.
The Defence Forces are serving the Nation (India) and not any party or
Govt. They are patriotic, not communal. We feel all religions are
secular and every person has got freedom to follow his own religion
in India and in armed forces also. So there is no bar on Genl
V.K.Singh in participating in this agitation, because it is a
patriotic agitation to make the country strong.
Corruption is a secular issue and it needs to be tackled by everyone.
Ramdev has won the ground.
Ramdev has all rights and reasons to voice his opinion as acitizen of INDIA, If RSS and other parties agree or not has no bearing on it,by the way I wellcome all like minded citizens and organizations includding political one who came out on open includding retired Army Chief, Hey MORE POWER TO YOU.
You all has GUTS to come out and say you agree with or have support of movement carried out by RAMDEV on behalf of his supporters from Villages all over INDIA.
Well done Ramdev you did your home work like Chanakya did in past.
Separation of power is the cornerstone of democracy. Do we have that in India?In my humble assessment it has been deliberately allowed to erode by our politicians. After 6 decade of independance it is nothing but rickety structre which might fall down any time. What is more tragic is that we, the people of India, allowed this to happen through our inertia and ignorance. Embldened by this, our politicians and their henchmen are playing havoc with the silent majority.They know that we indians are a fragmented lot and can be divided and ruled in the lines of cast,relegion, demography and language.We can get rid of this scurge of corruption and unaccountability at the next general election. The question is that do we have the willingness to cast out the wrongdoers?
100% agree with you, vikrant. The term "secular credentials" is SO abused and misused in India, that it is what needs to be banned and BLACKED OUT ... not some peaceful non-violent agitations against corruption. If the nonsense that India's "pseudo-secular" parties peddle around dressed up as "secularism" is what is "secularism", then I think it is far better to be COMMUNAL instead, LOL.
Some people including Congress have started defining secularism as " not associated with any of the indigenous faith or religion and a person is secular only and only if the person does not comment on any mischief being done by one particular minority or does not voice against anything however inappropriate being done for that particular minority group." This is strange definition. Why not such people defining secularism in this fashion do go abroad and live there. When this nation having 86 percent population follwing indigenous faiths, this is really strange definition. If this type of erroneous thinking is not discouraged,India's sovereignity and security is in danger and secular character of our constitution will sooner or later will be compromised.There is nothing wrong in General V K Vingh being present or speaking on the dias of Baba Ramdev.This country gives freedom of faith and anybody is free to associate with any religion including any of the indigenous religions borned here
Today, the saffron brigade consists not only of the overt right wing activists, but also
the covert supporters and activists amongst the general public of India, who are
increasingly becoming more assertive and aggressive ! An army is needed to fight
another army ! So choose which army you would like to be a part of .
IT SEEMS:
(i) It suits the ruling parties to allege that Team Anna (leaders of
the national anti-corruption movement) is "providing the facade behind
which the BJP-led NDA is operating", and its strategy has been to
'ignore' the movement, and for their obliging media to 'cut-off all
oxygen of news/views'.
(ii) It also suits the ruling parties to associate Team Anna with the
Ramdev initiative, RSS, or anyone/anything else they can think of,
which might give them a party-political/communal/caste advantage.
(iii) It may also turn out that the so called 'support shown to the
Ramdev initiative', by the Opposition Parties, is nothing more than
'lip-service or a photo-op'.
THE TRUTH IS no party really wants any change, and no party is keen on
conceding political space.
So, any Indian who wants to reduce corruption (and related evils) for
the harm they are doing to the economy and society of today's and
future India, has to form a group, and hack out a way forward for
themselves.
@vikrant the BJP and its followers too conveniently glorify Modi (forgetting the Gujarat riots) and don't waste any opportunity to talk of the anti-sikh riots.Social networking sites are full of their vitriol. Fault lies at both sides.
Anyway, Mayawati pressing the government on black money is laughable. If Anna's party or Ramdev want to retain some of their credibility they should firmly dissociate themselves from any political party and under no circumstance should they share a stage with them.
It is a good thing that Team Anna have decided to join politics. If they want to represent people then they should do it as per the constitution. Also, if they fight elections in Delhi then they must do so in Gujarat as well (to show that they are unbiased)
Ramdev is agitating against corruption and black money on behalf of RSS.
We should ignore. All Indians know that there is no corruption.
Anna Hazare and Ramdev are puppets in the hands of BJP. BJP should first
clean their stables in Karnataka, Gujarat and other states where they
are ruling before pointing fingers at others.
“Gen. V.K. Singh, by associating with a ‘Saffron Swami’ ....”
STRANGE : Anything with the color of saffron is beginning to be associated with hardline Hindu elements - Ramdev's agenda is the big picture and not his personal associations. Also the ex-General's attempt at tackling corruption is lost in the whole picture by the commentator. This seems to be the 'Ram-Baan' (Ram's Arrow) to all opposition by congress and its allies - Associate all protests to a group which you may vilify in name of secularism (congress conveniently forgets anti-Sikh riots but never ceases to blame Modi) !!
["has rendered another disservice to the image of the Army … respected the world over not only for its matchless valour and professionalism, but also for its secular credentials.] Don't worry. Nobody outside of India cares.
Another typical pro-Congress piece from Smita Gupta! The Congress party cannot be saved from a dismal 2014 by journalists.
The mask is off on a lot of reporters (such as Smita Gupta) too
revealing their anti-people and pro-establishment compulsions/leanings.
The way the government is dealing with civil society movements is being
described as a victory to the government rather as a loss to the people.
What a pity!
Whatever the good Baba represents, it is a gross mischaracterization to call his outfit "civil society". It is hard to get past the saffron garb that is so prominent. Corruption is not limited to Congress or the UPA, it is endemic to the whole political class. Only opportunities vary depending on who is in office.
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