Finally David has brought down Goliath
Like the proverbial David, Anna has brought down the Govt on its knees with three stones - people, peace and protest.
The govt had to eat its words and made to accept the will of the ppl! This issue also opens a wider "Ppl v/s Parliament" debate. Its good that the debate has begun and it was good to watch parliamentarians debate on matters that matter for a change.
My father once said when as a teenager, angry and impulsive, I asked as to why as a country of approx 80 million blessed with leaders of the stature of Gandhi, Nehru, Bose and Bhagat Singh, we can't find another one to guide the country post independence; that just like me "our country is young, still finding its feet; its time will come just like yours". So our time is coming : Indian democracy is coming of age, its maturing and I suspect that changes from hereon will be rapid - just like a stammering teenager becoming a confident adult almost overnight. No wonder the world is watching!
The underlying fact is the Parl was forced into this debate after years of vacillation and all thanks to one man and of course the entire country which rallied behind him. However the Parl seem to have still got it wrong with the PM saying "Parliament has spoken. The will of Parliament is will of the people." Wrong, it is ppl who have spoken and its the will of the ppl which is the will of the parliament. The parliament is not 'outside', 'above' or 'over' the ppl; it exists because and not despite the ppl of this country.
All theatrics by the likes of Salman Khurshid, Rahul Gandhi, and certain so called civil society activists, who felt suddenly threatened by this enigma called Anna making them seem like third rate back benchers, are playing on ppl's fears when they say that what if a group of ppl organise similar rallies for say forcing the govt to adhere to say make a Ram mandir! Unfortunately they forget that the masses are anything but fools. The masses rallied because they realise the nobleness and necessity of the cause, they won't be taken in some group hijacking them on a jingoistic trip, not for long anyway. Our Parliamentarians and others like Dileep Padgaonkar should realise that the ppl can see through any wolf in a sheeps' clothing.
And the will of the ppl is supreme in a democracy, the parl has no way but to obey. 'You may discuss debate and pass only those bills which the ppl want, remember the parl procedures is for the ppl and hence ppl are for the procedures not vice versa; can't have the tail wagging the dog! I'm surprised why some eminent thinkers can't see that except the likes of Mr Fali Nariman who said “Constitution is the Supreme Authority, and not the parliament or parliamentarians (not in exact phrase) and the Constitution emphasizes and asserts the importance of “Voices of People”, and therefore, it begins with the statement “We the People”.
