Anna Hazare & the middle classes

The Lokpal Bill has been carefully dissected on these pages. I use another scalpel, in this essay in the latest Economic & Political Weekly on what the Anna Hazare movement and India’s middle classes say about each other.

Written by
Vinay Sitapati
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1 comment
  • Mr Manmohan Singh is not referring to himself alone he is definitely above board. He is probably viewing the position of any PM who can be subject to unfair and baseless charges making him afraid to take decisions. A good example is the recent statement of an accused made in defence of himself without any proof but is already being used by the opposition and others as 'gospel truth. But when their were charges and allegations against their own CM in Karnataka in the Court, they brushed it aside as immoral but not illegal- without allowing the Court to investigate the truth by taking stay order. And the3se wild charges are being made by learned and responsible senior counsels who are at the helm of the opposition party. Are we going to allow indiscriminate allegations made day in and day out just to catch the media's attention who never bother to verify the truth of what they broadcast. We live in a make believe world of the electronic media who will add their own bits to any news as they did to the so called 'scoop' of the Lok Ayukth's report and added their own names to make it sensational and just added a small apology the next day in the corner of the paper. Unless we have an honest opposition and media reporting, anything said and broadcast cannot form the basis of an allegation against anyone incl the PM. If the PM is included under the Lokpal, there must be adequate checks and balances to ensure that there is some substance in the charges being levied.