Senior Congress ministers on Monday could not hide their sense of relief at the end of the two-week tense standoff between the government and the fasting Gandhian and social activist Anna Hazare.
Senior Congress ministers on Monday could not hide their sense of relief at the end of the two-week tense standoff between the government and the fasting Gandhian and social activist Anna Hazare.
The ministers also seem to believe that there was no climbdown on the part of the government and it was an honourable solution.
However, the Congress leaders know that they cannot turn their back on Hazare and get back to ‘politics-as-usual’ mode.
They are aware that Hazare has warned and promised to raise the banner of democratic revolt on other issues like electoral reforms.
As they reflect on the events of the past few weeks, the bigwigs in the Congress feel that but for a “few mistakes” in handling the situation there is nothing much that should bother them about the post- Hazare situation. “We did not have a proper media strategy, and this has been the main reason as to why we appear in such poor light in the public domain,” a senior minister said.
Abhishek Manu Singhvi, as party spokesperson and chairman of the parliamentary standing committee that shall now look into all the aspects of the Lokpal bill, feels there is no need to dwell on the past. “We have to look ahead, and focus ourselves on delivering the best possible bill,” he observed.
But the party does not believe that there is anti-politician atmosphere in the aftermath of this agitation. “Politicians as a class shall always bounce back, they may be derided by the media and some sections of the society, but they do not suffer any permanent damage,” a minister said.
“The issue was not the Lokpal. It was corruption, and every one has some experience of it. I do not think any other issue would evoke this kind of a response,” said Kavuri Sambasiva Rao, senior Congress member of the Lok Sabha from Andhra Pradesh.
He affirmed that the Lokpal is a good thing and it will help check corruption.
He was, however, not sure that Hazare and other civil society groups will be able to mobilise the kind of support that the Gandhian got during his 12-day fast-unto-death at Ramlila Maidan in the nation’s capital.
Anu Tandon, Congress MP from Unnao in Uttar Pradesh, said the mood in the party, as far as the MPs were concerned, was “to wait for the parliamentary standing committee looking at the Lokpal legislation to come back to the House and for the bill to be passed.”
She said that as an MP she was concerned with the needs and aspirations of the people, and she would want to do her best for them. She pointed out people have no patience with details and technicalities. They are taken up by the big problem like corruption.
She said that as an elected representative of the people, she feels that she has to meet the peoples’ demands in a responsible manner, respond to the people’s needs but do it within the constitutional framework.
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