The system moves in on Lokpal Bill prime movers, the Bhushans
To add to this bizarre theatre where the Congress is suddenly taking the moral high ground on corruption, party spokesman Manish Tewari was seen declaring that “those who would attack others should introspect on their own standards of morality”. Senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh led the initial charge, first questioning Anna Hazare’s antecedents and admiration for Narendra Modi, then the Bhushans. He subsequently also landed up in Lucknow and said he was inviting Anna Hazare to sit on fast against the corruption of the Mayawati government.
So is this whole anti-corruption tamasha nothing more than backhanded politics or, worse, a case of the pot calling the kettle black? Well, right now what’s more intriguing is the massive effort being put into discrediting the anti-corruption brigade. As for the Bhushans, the mud is being thrown at father Shanti but the real target is son Prashant, who has for years been at the forefront of several sensational anti-corruption cases, including the 2G scam. The great irony was that the day several top executives of the telecom companies were sent to jail, Prashant, the man who set the entire 2G ball rolling, also found himself in the dock.
A scrutiny of the kind of cases he’s fought makes it clear that this is a man who would have many enemies. He stuck his neck out on the issue of judicial accountability, even directly taking on judges of the apex court. He’s been battling corruption since the Bofors era and, most recently, with the 2G scandal several big corporate houses have faced huge losses and embarrassment while the Manmohan Singh government has been pushed to a corner. Over the years Prashant has assisted several people’s movements, worked with activists and groups ranging from the middle to the Left. He’s been outspoken about the excesses of the state and political parties on both sides. In some ways, Prashant could be called one of India’s top whistle-blowers.
And what of the targeted smear campaign which is more damaging than the critique? As Prashant says, “There will be many people with a motive to get me in the government, corporate sector...not to forget Amar Singh who is central to this drama.” (Those who say this is a Congress smear campaign also point to the fact that Amar Singh, fabled as a political fixer, was also a central character in the cash-for-votes scandal.)
Now that the battle is on, Prashant is being discredited at every level. A whisper campaign suggests that all his PILs are actually tools to blackmail. Explains Prashant: “All I can say is that when one business house wants to catch another and provides information in this regard, I obviously take it—as long as I am confident that the information exposes corruption and that the documents are genuine. But I don’t allow them any control over the PIL that I file as I never charge any fees for PILs.”
Then how does he generate an income? “A quarter of my cases are not PILs. And I am able to take up certain cases because my expenses are minimal. My house and office are free as I live with my father and my staff salaries are also paid by my father. I do this in public interest and act on the basis of my perception of public interest.” At this stage, all the Bhushans can do is wait and see what comes next. Those opposed to Prashant say his karma is catching up with him and his father.
So what really is the strategy behind the attack on the anti-corruption movement? One may have expected the Congress to just let the Jan Lokpal bill get bogged down in the drafting and legislative minefield. Why was it necessary to launch this sort of no-holds-barred attack? Party sources say the consensus was that such forms of militant activism are a threat to the future. Besides, as a leader asks, “There are so many contradictions and divisions in the anti-corruption movement, why shouldn’t we exploit it?”
This suggests that the ruling establishment was indeed rattled by the energy released during the Anna Hazare fast. Now the Bhushans are on the mat; earlier it was Hazare himself, for charges ranging from his approval of Narendra Modi’s development record to spending money on a birthday celebration. The latest is that Karnataka Lokayukta Santosh Hegde is having second thoughts about being on the draft panel. Commenting on the manner of the vilification campaign, the Lokayukta said that “everything stinks”.
The question now is whether this entire campaign will disintegrate (as the political and ruling class would like it to) in the face of so many mini-scandals and charges? Will the Bhushans step down from the panel? (At the time of writing, they said they had no intention of doing so.) In other words, will the empire win this round, pulverise the anti-corruption movement? They certainly could but the reverse can also happen. The attack on a genuine public outburst could turn out counter-productive. The danger for the UPA is next time round the energy tapped by the anti-corruption movement could move to specifically targeting the Delhi regime.
After all, at the end of all this drama we have to ask why after such a terrible season of scams should a government be so scared of public anger against corruption or a law that would give greater accountability?
10 Unanswered Questions
The Bhushan Case Files
Prashant Bhushan has appeared in a number of high-profile public interest cases since the early ’90s