Sorry to be a party pooper. But on Saturday evening, as the entire nation went into a celebratory mood, with the band and baja , of course, provided by our television news channels, as the 12-day fast of Anna Hazare inched to an end, I found it difficult to whip up enough adrenalin to spring into the air and celebrate the “historic moment”.

Of course, it felt great to note that the 74-year-old Gandhian had brought not only the government of the day, but also politicians of all hues, to their knees. And that too on as crucial and burning an issue as corruption and the demand for speed money, which has haunted, frustrated and incarcerated the toughest amongst us at some time or the other.

In an unprecedented move, both Houses of Parliament unanimously resolved to endorse the three key demands spelt out in Team Anna's draft of the Lokpal Bill. These related to the citizen's charter, inclusion of the lower bureaucracy in the Lokpal mechanism and establishment of Lokayuktas in the States.

The breakthrough came after the unyielding and hawkish representatives of Team Anna had done days of hard bargaining with the government's interlocutors, and constantly called their bluff. The entire nation heaved a sigh of relief as not even the worst critics of Team Anna's methods — my way or no way — wanted to see any harm come to the diminutive 74-year old's health through the rigours of a long-drawn-out fast.

Misplaced jubilation

But the jubilation which followed the announcement that the Parliament resolution was acceptable to Anna and he would call off his fast the next morning, was baffling, to say the least.

Hostile TV anchors, who had hitherto been blasting politicians, particularly of the UPA, suddenly changed tack and “congratulated” MPs and spokespersons across parties, for “rising to the occasion” and “raising the bar when it comes to parliamentary debates”.

And smug politicians, including some from the Congress, who had been at the receiving end of the scorn of both the media and the masses, preened on TV screens, as though they had already cleaned up the system and wiped out the scourge of corruption. Said one worthy, prompted by a pompous TV anchor: “We took a consensual approach because all of us wanted Annaji to break his fast.” Across political divides, from the BJP to the Congress, Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha MPs slapped one another's backs and “celebrated” the victory of the Parliamentary system. Said one, rather inanely: “Parliament has upheld its own supremacy by saying that Parliament will make the laws.” Wow, what wisdom!

Watching the TV debates and the celebrations at Ramlila Maidan, the fast venue, and the cacophony of sound hailing “this historic occasion”, “people's victory”, “Parliament's supremacy”, and so on, one would have thought “people's power” had already conquered corruption!

So what had changed?

So what had changed for such a jubilant mood to set in and drive sedate and sensible people out on the streets to do a victory jig? One could not believe that normally cynical journalists were totally smitten by the speech-making prowess of our politicians. It was one thing for Kiran Bedi, a core member of Team Anna, to tweet, and gush, as she congratulated Opposition Leader in the Lok Sabha, Ms Sushma Swaraj, for making a “brilliant speech”.

After all, Ms Bedi's neck was on the line had anything untoward happened to Anna's health, and his fast was not called off at the earliest. But to hear hardened, cynical news hacks crowing about the articulation skills of our MPs was a little too much. Since when has bhashanbazi (speech-making) not been the most precious asset of a politician? Haven't our netas, for decades now, been making the hopes of their poor and hapless constituents take flight on nothing but the wings of their silver-tongued oratory?

Yes, Parliamentary processes have to be respected and cannot be bypassed by one, 10 or 100 fasts. But to think that our netas and babus are shivering in their shoes because some tens of thousands of mostly middle-class/urban Indians have expressed their anguish and angst against corruption, is to live in a fool's paradise. All we have from our politicians, till now, are mere promises.

Instead of hailing our politicians for doing, at long last, their job in Parliament… which is to speak sensibly and debate relevant issues that impact people's lives, as corruption does, we in the media would do well do carry out investigations on whether anything has changed at the grassroots levels.

Level of discourse

The jury is still out on whether even a single sarkari karmachari , small or big, has stopped demanding bribes to get any task done. And this because he/she has either been impressed or shamed by Anna's earnestness, enchanted by the flag-waving or hand-clapping frenzy — often comical — of Kiran Bedi or the fire-and-brimstone stance of Arvind Kejriwal.

As for the “great level” of debate in Parliament that evening, let's take a sample from Bihar's Lalu Prasad. First, there was the irony of Lalu debating corruption; next he expressed his admiration for the fitness of a 74-year old, whose body could withstand 12 days of fasting. Soon after Lalu had relayed from Parliament his admiration for Anna's fitness, the latter retorted, extolling the virtues of celibacy: “What will a man who has fathered 10 or 12 children know about the strength of celibacy?” And then, Anna told the nation how he had considered all women his sisters or mothers and never looked at any woman with lust.

If this is the level of discourse we are hailing, one's democratic right to cynicism should be granted too. And scepticism that our slippery-as-eel politicians, and the rotten system they have entrenched over decades, are going to change in a hurry.

(Response to rasheeda@thehindu.co.in and blfeedback@thehindu.co.in )

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