The Movement’s Success Must Not Take The CJP The AAP Way
· Free Press Journal
So, finally, the cockroaches succeeded, and the government had to bow down to Gen Z. The unthinkable has happened. The aura of invincibility has dissolved. Democracy has been restored, even if only for some time. And now we see an accountable government, but the government is severely brutalised, its hubris maligned, and the cult of the Prime Minister shattered. The anger had been brewing for a long time. The task that the Opposition could not accomplish has been completed with distinction by students. This should make the Opposition think about why they do not have the kind of goodwill required to make the government accountable. And the government should consider why students and youth, who saw Modi as a messiah in 2014 and elected him Prime Minister with a massive mandate, are now disappointed and disillusioned.
If we think that this anger is transitory, momentary and temporary, then we are all wrong. Anger of such magnitude does not arise in a day; it had been accumulating for a long time, bit by bit, and finally burst out as the youth grew frustrated with the criminal indifference and passivity of the entire system.
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Warning For The BJP
This is a warning signal for the BJP. Unlike the Anna movement in 2011, it was not against the entire political establishment but against the present government. During the Anna movement, the demand was for the creation of a Lokpal law to make India corruption-free. Protesters did not demand the resignation of a particular minister. They envisioned corruption as a systemic problem, not an isolated issue. And in 2014, Manmohan Singh faced the wrath of the people, and the Congress paid the price. The party was routed in the parliamentary election and is still struggling to regain its past glory. If the Congress seems deeply wounded even today, it is because of the Anna movement.
But the cockroaches were more focused. From day one, their demand was the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, as he failed to take corrective measures to stop the paper leak. They wanted him to be made accountable for his failures. Even a section of BJP supporters was greatly disillusioned. Even the children of senior BJP leaders and ministers were seen supporting the cockroaches during the movement. It is this crack that compelled the government to rethink its strategy and take the step that many of us thought was unthinkable. In the Modi regime, ministers are not supposed to resign. Before Dharmendra Pradhan, only M.J. Akbar had resigned, and it was because of the #MeToo movement. The then Home Minister, Rajnath Singh, had proudly said, "Nobody resigns in the Modi government." In this context, Pradhan's resignation hints at a greater realisation of the crisis within the government and a loss of prestige. I do not know how this crisis will play out, but the party has to take drastic steps to restore its credibility.
Lessons From The Anna Movement
But the bigger question is, what next? It will be interesting to watch how the creative energy that has exploded into the open through the larger collective and manifested itself democratically shapes up. Whether, like the Anna movement, it will enter politics, form a political party and contest elections remains to be seen. I was a great supporter of the Anna movement and was on the ground on all 13 days at the Ramlila Ground as a reporter when Anna sat on an indefinite hunger strike. I even wrote a book on the movement. I was also of the firm belief that the energy the movement generated should be channelised into politics—not to do politics, but to change politics. Finally, the Aam Aadmi Party was formed. Arvind Kejriwal, who was the architect of the movement, was its helmsman. This experiment took great strides with much greater fanfare. After the initial goodwill, the experiment was hijacked by politics itself and lost its sheen, becoming just another political outfit. AAP is no longer the solution that the Anna movement espoused; it has become a problem itself.
The golden experiment of AAP is a grand failure. This further compels me to think and believe that if the CJP decides to jump into electoral politics, there is no guarantee that it will not replicate the experiment of the AAP, will not be appropriated by politics, and will not get infected by the virus of corruption. The lesson taught by the Anna movement is that it is not just the political party but also civil society that has a responsibility to keep the government of the day, however powerful it may be, accountable to the people through Parliament. It is not necessary that every successful movement enter electoral politics.
Role Of Civil Society
The CJP has proved its mettle and has played a historical role. It should continue to work like a pressure group. Because the nature of politics in India is such that one has to compromise and engage in corruption to succeed, it needs a beacon of moral virtue, a moral torchlight. In October 1934, Gandhi resigned from the primary membership of the Congress and never rejoined, but he remained the moral torchlight of the Congress throughout his life. He was the final arbiter; he was a leader in the true sense, with no lust for power. He did not aspire to any post; his was the last word, which even the Prime Minister could not ignore.
Similarly, Jaiprakash Narayan was the leader of the anti-Indira Gandhi movement in the mid-1970s. Indira Gandhi was more powerful than any Prime Minister in India. She was praised as Durga after the creation of Bangladesh in 1971 but had to leave office after her humiliating defeat in the 1977 parliamentary elections. If JP wanted, he could have easily become Prime Minister, but he decided not to. Morarji Desai became the Prime Minister. JP was right; the Janata experiment failed because of the very nature of Indian politics.
I am no one to advise the CJP. My own experience in politics is not inspiring, but I can say with confidence that, for idealists like the leaders of the movement, such an experiment is not worth trying. They are the new icons and superstars of India, and it is better to remain so; do not soil that image.
The writer is Co-Founder, SatyaHindi.com, and author of Hindu Rashtra. He posts on X at @ashutosh83B.