Anna: Fever, lung trouble....for the Congress?

                        The newspapers, the television, even my 5 year old niece; everyone is talking about Anna Hazare. Nicknames galore, running from a gimmick of the opposition, to a pain in the a^* for the government, the simplicity of the man has gotten lost somewhere. Anna today has a 102 fever, reports the doctor, along with lung infection. Television channels (including some who have lost credibility given the recent highlights of scams), talk with concern about his health. Few, led by candid journalists, talk about the Parliamentary debates and the deadlock that has been triggered by the man.
                          What one cannot ignore in the midst of this fast are the accusations that are flying between our leaders. The net of this falls wide, from Kapil Sibal, to forgotten Mister Lalu Prasad Yadav, from the pragmatic Modi to 'bhodrolok' Pranab babu. The parliament and the MMRDC maidan seem the same, a lot of noise, some speeches and a furious debate about a significant debate that (if it reaches a conclusion), could well shape the future of the biggest democracy of the world.

                          The fast, the deadlock, the debate, all boil down to just that word, Democracy. Is the fast anti constitutional, as it undermines the 'democratically elected' law making body? Are the demands of the Kejrival, Bhusans, Bedi and especially Anna not an effective exercise of their rights as a citizen of the country? How is the Lokpal or the Lokayukt, or whatever one may term it as, not a need of the Indian society today? Haven't the recent scams (2G scam, Commonwealth Scam, Adarsh Housing scam, and so many more) added  to the need for a stronger body for checks, as is being demanded by the civil society?
                         The lokayukt or the Lokpal seems to be the Tendulkar of politics, someone who can take it to another level, but only if he/she has the powers. The powers will come from those who he will judge. So isn't this a catch 22 situation?
                         A country that is fighting for the lifting of the ban of the Gita in Russia, so that its culture is safeguarded needs a lesson in it, or so it would seem. It has been one where the King has been answerable not only the public but in the private sphere, where Sita was asked to leave as Ram's subject questioned her "purity". We seem to have reached a point where our "leaders" are not ready to accept public inputs in their workings (parliamentary debates and law making process), forget being answerable for any private undertakings.
                   The fast can go on, Anna can be opposed or appeased, the government can cry foul, the opposition can point out that the government is "morally bankrupt), but the reality of the matter is just this. The government is a product of society, and the recent events reflect its lack of communication with its roots. The lokpal might not hold all the answers, but it is the first significant step that the society not only needs but demands today. A reality that the Congress needs to realise, nay accept!