The drama surrounding the Lokayukta report closed by Mr. Hegde filing his report. Santosh Hegde, who may possibly be right in his indictment of Yeddy, has played as a pawn in the hands of Congress. Justice Hegde is a media savvy and media seeking person. There are multiple aspects of this story, we will concentrate on a few of them:
1. Santosh Hegde, Congress and Anna Hazare:
Even after being indicted by a Lokpal, if a chief minister can hold his turf, it shows that the Lokpal which Hegde - who is a sympathiser of Anna's team - is seeking at the center, will be as ineffective as Hegde has been. For example, if the Lokpal at the center indicts Manmohan, he will wait even after Sonia orders him to resign!
Lokpal himself can become indulgent in activism. Who checks the Lokpal? We have mentioned this point earlier. In this particular case, we do not feel empathatic to Hegde. Hegde wanted to make at least one CM resign before he retired. His motivation seems similar to the retiring DGP DV Guruprasad who wanted to be IGP, even if for a month, before retiring. Do we think such ambitions are wrong? We will dodge this question. We say that personal ambitions should be irrelevant, however, in any mechanism design, the fact that individuals have their own personal ambitions must be taken into consideration. Anna thinks that his Lokpal will be above suspicion, and that is rubbish. For all we know, Anna, like Hegde, wants a Prime Minister to be forced to resign by a Lokpal at the center.
As a person Santosh Hegde has been a sissy. This whole idea of Lokpal, the team Anna and the Congress itself are part of the broader Congress-culture of rampant hypocrisy and double standards which all other parties have inherited or imbibed. This is part of the Mohandasian culture of low-thinking and high-preaching.
2. B S Yeddyurappa:
BSY has been just another chief minister. He is no angel, at the same time he is no worse than his predecessors or other past or present CMs in other states. Sheila Dikshit is worse than BSY, but has not been forced to resign yet. On a personal front, BSY has come a long way from his past when he was inclined to tears. And now he is clinging as much as he can, though there is news that he has consented to resign.
BSY is also being criticized for his demands that he wants his loyal to succeed him and his wanting a say in the allotment of ministerial berths. This quality too, though worthy of criticism, is not something that BSY alone is guilty of! Laloo relinquished his post only for Rabdidevi. This whole dynastic family culture, both in and out of Congress, is owing to that. Since the times of just pre-Islamic-invasion days, we have suffered from leadership embroiled in nepotism, despotism and back-stabbing. Be that kings or be it modern politicians.
3. The BJP, Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley, Rajnath Singh:
The BJP has been clownish on this front. They should have had their own internal evaluation of BSY and should have encouraged BSY to resign on his own much earlier. And if they have been unequal to this, they should have been shameless, like Congress, and allowed BSY to continue till the courts ordered such a thing. As we have mentioned BJP always comes across as second-rate Congress. When they need conviction they exhibit tact, and when they must exercise tact they betray sissy convictions. This is the reason they are not an alternative to Congress, nor are they a party with a difference. They are a party with diffidence.
Rajnath Singh who caused the decline and downfall of Kalyan Singh is a frustrated man. He is akin to ex-PM Chandrashekhar of yesteryears who was waiting to be a PM for donkey's years. Then there are politicians who lack leadership qualities. Also, there are many people in public life who practice the policy of "Can't do, won't let do".
Thayee, Sushma Swaraj, is conspicuous by her absence. Now if Yeddy goes, can she or will she save Reddys? And if she can't safeguard Reddys now, why did she mastermind the fall of BSY that took place earlier? There are people in public life who follow the policy: "Either you are subservient to me, or an enemy of mine".
Jaitley has been trying to maintain a brave face, but it does not rescue the matter at hand.
4. The High Command Culture:
If Lokpal report is important enough, then BSY should have resigned as soon as the report was out. And if he refused the quit then only a judicial mechanism should have the powers to throw him. In this way, either moral force or legal force exerts pressure. However, in India, we have the "high command culture". A defiant CM suddenly bows to party discipline. It looks as if there are no rhymes and no reasons. Pure stupid sentimentality! We mention that we are not averse to sentiments, but we do criticize stupid sentimentality.
This also shows that India does not have the federal structure that it boasts it has. It has the Congress culture, that of high-command.
These dramas will not change unless there are electoral reforms. We, however, favor a new Constitution. (See here and here)
1. Santosh Hegde, Congress and Anna Hazare:
Even after being indicted by a Lokpal, if a chief minister can hold his turf, it shows that the Lokpal which Hegde - who is a sympathiser of Anna's team - is seeking at the center, will be as ineffective as Hegde has been. For example, if the Lokpal at the center indicts Manmohan, he will wait even after Sonia orders him to resign!
Lokpal himself can become indulgent in activism. Who checks the Lokpal? We have mentioned this point earlier. In this particular case, we do not feel empathatic to Hegde. Hegde wanted to make at least one CM resign before he retired. His motivation seems similar to the retiring DGP DV Guruprasad who wanted to be IGP, even if for a month, before retiring. Do we think such ambitions are wrong? We will dodge this question. We say that personal ambitions should be irrelevant, however, in any mechanism design, the fact that individuals have their own personal ambitions must be taken into consideration. Anna thinks that his Lokpal will be above suspicion, and that is rubbish. For all we know, Anna, like Hegde, wants a Prime Minister to be forced to resign by a Lokpal at the center.
As a person Santosh Hegde has been a sissy. This whole idea of Lokpal, the team Anna and the Congress itself are part of the broader Congress-culture of rampant hypocrisy and double standards which all other parties have inherited or imbibed. This is part of the Mohandasian culture of low-thinking and high-preaching.
2. B S Yeddyurappa:
BSY has been just another chief minister. He is no angel, at the same time he is no worse than his predecessors or other past or present CMs in other states. Sheila Dikshit is worse than BSY, but has not been forced to resign yet. On a personal front, BSY has come a long way from his past when he was inclined to tears. And now he is clinging as much as he can, though there is news that he has consented to resign.
BSY is also being criticized for his demands that he wants his loyal to succeed him and his wanting a say in the allotment of ministerial berths. This quality too, though worthy of criticism, is not something that BSY alone is guilty of! Laloo relinquished his post only for Rabdidevi. This whole dynastic family culture, both in and out of Congress, is owing to that. Since the times of just pre-Islamic-invasion days, we have suffered from leadership embroiled in nepotism, despotism and back-stabbing. Be that kings or be it modern politicians.
3. The BJP, Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley, Rajnath Singh:
The BJP has been clownish on this front. They should have had their own internal evaluation of BSY and should have encouraged BSY to resign on his own much earlier. And if they have been unequal to this, they should have been shameless, like Congress, and allowed BSY to continue till the courts ordered such a thing. As we have mentioned BJP always comes across as second-rate Congress. When they need conviction they exhibit tact, and when they must exercise tact they betray sissy convictions. This is the reason they are not an alternative to Congress, nor are they a party with a difference. They are a party with diffidence.
Rajnath Singh who caused the decline and downfall of Kalyan Singh is a frustrated man. He is akin to ex-PM Chandrashekhar of yesteryears who was waiting to be a PM for donkey's years. Then there are politicians who lack leadership qualities. Also, there are many people in public life who practice the policy of "Can't do, won't let do".
Thayee, Sushma Swaraj, is conspicuous by her absence. Now if Yeddy goes, can she or will she save Reddys? And if she can't safeguard Reddys now, why did she mastermind the fall of BSY that took place earlier? There are people in public life who follow the policy: "Either you are subservient to me, or an enemy of mine".
Jaitley has been trying to maintain a brave face, but it does not rescue the matter at hand.
4. The High Command Culture:
If Lokpal report is important enough, then BSY should have resigned as soon as the report was out. And if he refused the quit then only a judicial mechanism should have the powers to throw him. In this way, either moral force or legal force exerts pressure. However, in India, we have the "high command culture". A defiant CM suddenly bows to party discipline. It looks as if there are no rhymes and no reasons. Pure stupid sentimentality! We mention that we are not averse to sentiments, but we do criticize stupid sentimentality.
This also shows that India does not have the federal structure that it boasts it has. It has the Congress culture, that of high-command.
These dramas will not change unless there are electoral reforms. We, however, favor a new Constitution. (See here and here)
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