Our nation is obsessed with finding a modern day Gandhi to lead the fight against corruption. Any enterprising individual’s initiative is expected to be replica of the Mahatma’s spirit before he is deemed worthy enough to lead such a endeavor.
But there is a dark side to Mahatma Gandhi too. His sleeping naked with young girls, his stubborn refusal to allow his wife the of use animal based medicine, while using the same himself many years later are some of the stuff glossed over by text books and completely forgotten today.
We accept Gandhi for what he is. Not for what we or somebody else wanted him to be. By the same yardstick, Ramdev, for his words, deeds and perceived integrity is an icon for many in this country. Everybody has the right to choose their icons, even if the icon is not a darling of our cosmopolitan crowd.
Ramdev has been talking of a crusade against black money and corruption in his shibirs across the country for at-least couple of years now. He is not a seasoned politician to only use politically correct phrases though. If his words or actions are against our laws, let him be held accountable for it lawfully.
Ramdev or even Anna’s solutions or approach may be far from desirable. But with a string of super mega scams centered around Delhi, it is only natural for sentiments expressed by them gaining a recognition.
Let us not dilute their message because their character does not match our definition of ideal icons. Baba has woken up a huge section of the society and has given them dreams of a nation where aristocrats cannot abuse their positions to siphon off public money.
Let us use the momentum they have generated to build consensus on creating institutional framework that’ll result in cleaner and more transparent governance going ahead. Let us focus on making those in public positions more accountable to laws of this nation.
