Anna ko Jai(l)

It’s now a little past 3 AM Indian Time (Wednesday ,17^th August).

From 7.30 in the morning (Tuesday, 16^th August), Delhi and many parts of the country have been witnessing amazing scenes.

Arresting Anna Hazare is the most foolish thing yet done in India by any Indian government. Even JP and the Emergency following Tulmohan Ram, Pondicherry License scandal, LN Mishra’s fund raising methods and death at Samastipur, Indira’s technical knock-out by the Allahabad High Court in the Raj Narayan case, were sufficiently political in nature for historical purposes. But Anna’s yet-to-begin fast and ‘detention’? By doing this and then going into huddles and tangles (Ramdev did not teach them how to get untangled!); by media conferences justifying the action, the Indian government got such low ratings as Standard and Poor have never thought of. Releasing one after the other, and then facing Anna’s sit in at the Tihar, the GOI has truly eaten humble pie.

Let us see what Chidambaram and Sibal and Ambica Soni were saying:

but, as he was ambitious,we
jailed him. There is … honour for his valour in the Army;

and jail for his unparliamentary ambition of a free India.

Chidambaram tried his best to look grim and sad , but there was no glycerine on offer. He said, in effect :

Friends, Delhiites, Indians, lend me your ears;
I come to jail Anna, not to praise him.
The evil that Gandhi did lives after him;
The good was scattered long ago with his bones;
So came about Anna . The noble Sibal
Hath told you Anna was ambitious:
If it were so, it was a grievous fault,
And grievously hath Anna answer'd it.

Here, under leave of the PM and the rest--
For the PM is an honourable man;
So are they all, all honourable men--
Come I to speak at Anna’s Jailing .

You all did see that he asked for thirty days of fasting
When I presented him a simpler choice of three,
Which he did straight refuse: wasn’t this ambition?

Foolish frail fond old man

Three score and twelve years old,

Attired in white from top to toe,

Black in heart, set to arrest the processes of Law-making,

Challengeing in speech and demeanour

Elected representatives and their legally wily ways

His motley brinded dogs in tow

Matching his country-bred ambition to our trained parliament-ways;

Now refuses release from jail,

And refuses room of his own

After Kalmadi’s cell!

What dire designs he draws from the sprites that tend on Kalmadi

in the few hours of joint jail!

He must remain

In jail or Ralegaon.

Delhi be out of bounds.

Else the brinded following swells

Calling for stringent Bills

To include Premiers and princes of darkness

that thrive on deep patronage so near and familiar.

Anna reeks of ranks, not authority

Jail is good for him, not civil liberty.

As always, Shakespeare came in handy for me . Mr. Chidambaram, we can turn a phrase better than you.And Anna can speak a simpler yet directly effective tongue.