<p>It is clear from the events of the last few days that the UPA government headed by Manmohan Singh hopelessly underestimated the popular undercurrent running through the country on the question of dealing with all-pervasive corruption. If the government thought that by presenting a Lokpal Bill of its choice and invoking the parliamentary ‘prerogative’ to enact laws it will silence the voice of civil society demanding a strong and credible institution to tackle corruption, it was sadly mistaken. Manmohan Singh’s assertion that the path chosen by Anna Hazare to “impose his draft of the Jan Lokpal Bill upon parliament was totally misconceived and fraught with grave consequences for our parliamentary democracy,” betrays an old mindset which would have been acceptable at other times, but in the present context, smacks of the arrogance of power and rigidity wholly distanced from the ground realities.<br /><br /> The government’s contention in rejecting the Jan Lokpal Bill has been that the Constitution has bestowed upon parliament the right to enact laws and the supremacy of parliament cannot be questioned. But it is a fallacy to assume that parliament alone is supreme. It is the Constitution and the people who elect their representatives to parliament who occupy a higher pedestal. The government’s version of the Lokpal Bill falls far short of the expectations of the people as seen in the popular upsurge in support for Anna Hazare’s second round of Satyagraha and the government would do well to heed the voice of the people and make appropriate amendments to its own bill now before parliament. The government may be worried about creating a precedent in altering legislation under public pressure, but it needs to realise that these are unprecedented times.<br /><br />Anna Hazare has moved out of Tihar jail very much on his terms and continued his Satyagraha at the Ramlila grounds. He is already into his fourth day of hunger strike and with the 24/7 media following his move every minute and feeding the mob frenzy, the passions are bound to escalate. Team Anna has indicated that it is ready to climb down on some of its demands and be reasonable. The government should not waste any more time and hold negotiations with his team to arrive at an amicable settlement on the Lokpal issue. If the Manmohan Singh government continues to stick to a false sense of prestige and refuses to initiate a dialogue, the time may soon run out, leading to unpredictable consequences.</p>
<p>It is clear from the events of the last few days that the UPA government headed by Manmohan Singh hopelessly underestimated the popular undercurrent running through the country on the question of dealing with all-pervasive corruption. If the government thought that by presenting a Lokpal Bill of its choice and invoking the parliamentary ‘prerogative’ to enact laws it will silence the voice of civil society demanding a strong and credible institution to tackle corruption, it was sadly mistaken. Manmohan Singh’s assertion that the path chosen by Anna Hazare to “impose his draft of the Jan Lokpal Bill upon parliament was totally misconceived and fraught with grave consequences for our parliamentary democracy,” betrays an old mindset which would have been acceptable at other times, but in the present context, smacks of the arrogance of power and rigidity wholly distanced from the ground realities.<br /><br /> The government’s contention in rejecting the Jan Lokpal Bill has been that the Constitution has bestowed upon parliament the right to enact laws and the supremacy of parliament cannot be questioned. But it is a fallacy to assume that parliament alone is supreme. It is the Constitution and the people who elect their representatives to parliament who occupy a higher pedestal. The government’s version of the Lokpal Bill falls far short of the expectations of the people as seen in the popular upsurge in support for Anna Hazare’s second round of Satyagraha and the government would do well to heed the voice of the people and make appropriate amendments to its own bill now before parliament. The government may be worried about creating a precedent in altering legislation under public pressure, but it needs to realise that these are unprecedented times.<br /><br />Anna Hazare has moved out of Tihar jail very much on his terms and continued his Satyagraha at the Ramlila grounds. He is already into his fourth day of hunger strike and with the 24/7 media following his move every minute and feeding the mob frenzy, the passions are bound to escalate. Team Anna has indicated that it is ready to climb down on some of its demands and be reasonable. The government should not waste any more time and hold negotiations with his team to arrive at an amicable settlement on the Lokpal issue. If the Manmohan Singh government continues to stick to a false sense of prestige and refuses to initiate a dialogue, the time may soon run out, leading to unpredictable consequences.</p>
