Poll Analysis | Has Anna lost his way?
Anna Hazare revealed his plans of foraying into politics earlier this week. Team Anna’s decision to create a political alternative for the forthcoming general elections in 2014 could seem as a much needed respite to the citizens of our country. Considering the fact that both the leading political alliances are neck deep under charges of corruption, Anna’s party that is expected to be named ‘Swaraj’ could be a beacon of hope.
But the larger question is can the yet-to-be-formed party manage to survive the influence of corruption. It faces a risk of potentially becoming corrupt itself.
We asked our readers ‘Has Team Anna altered their agenda since their first protest? Do you think they've become more political than being anti-graft?’ A majority (74%) believes rather strongly that Anna is still focussed on eradicating corruption while the remaining 26% agree that Anna has lost his way and is digressing from his agenda of eradicating corruption.
One can see how the anti-corruption/ Lok Pal movement has evolved during the course of a year. Anna started off purely as an anti-corruption crusader whose sole interest to cleanse the country’s political system of graft, won over the heart of every Indian. His movement created ripples across the country with the media, politicians and the common man enraptured by this ‘Gandhian’s’ zeal to create a bright future for India. At present, the movement has boiled down to a petty affair where members of the civil society group and the government indulge in mudslinging.
To answer the question posed above, one can only wait to see whether Anna will manage to preserve the sanctity and goodwill he and his team members earned over the year, once they step into the political fray. Or will he end up substantiating Lord Acton words, “Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely.”
By Juwairia Mehkri