A Half Victory but a Total Defeat?

All those who doubted Anna's credentials and disapproved of his methods have been proved wrong even if his followers have not won a full victory. All those who stubbornly ignored and later opposed the demands of the people by disingenuously calling them 'middle class exclusive urbanites' who did not represent the larger majority of the Indian citizenry and were in fact marginalizing the Dalits, minorities and the other depressed classes; an absolutely preposterous charge. These doubts and allegations were made/aised by those who believed that their brand of voe bank politics was supreme and could not be challenged ever.

Today, some editors are quoting critics and defendents alike to make the same point that even if the movement succeeded its demands that parliament pass what the civil society had wanted, was essentially undemocratic. I have great respect for Sharad Yadav and Om Puri. Shekhar Gupta in today's Indian Express cites Om Puri as calling the MPs Ganwars and gives Sharad Yadav's example as being a representative of the rustic classes. Gupta's argument is totally disingenuous. Sharad Yadav is not the right example as he is experienced, educated and wise and witty but what the civil society was objecting to were theMPs who got themselves elected on the promise of working for the depressed classes but in fact lined their own purse and wantonly robbed the country. Both the urban and rural backward types quickly learned the ropes and became wealthy and arrogant beyond belief. So Mr Gupta, please do not try to defend them. As I have asked before, "What if instead of 151 all 543 members of the LS have a record of serious criminal offenses?" Will Mr Gupta still defend them as being the supreme representatives of the supreme parliament. Mr Gupta, you have rightly recalled all that is wrong with vote bank politics and the attendant corruption. Why then this opposition to the people fighting for their rights as a last resort? Surely, had the ruling class been half as sensitive and honest the civil society would never have succeeded.