By D N Singh (Special)
In a way the month of April remains an important phase when a former Gandhian suddenly rose like a phoenix to impact a nerve rattling jolt to the UPA and nearly pulverized it.
In a democratic set up when the corruption reaches a boiling point then some force from within rise up to voices and the people react for a change.
And it did scripting a history of sort in Indian political history. Without a home to stay and a family to serve him a meal, residing in a temple in Maharashtra, an ex-army personnel and Gandhian Anna Hazzare dealt a lethal blow on the then existing regime under UPA, waging a war against corruption in the system. It all started on April 5 2011.
Anna announced a fast unto death beginning on 5 April 2011 till a new law empowering a Lok Pal was cleared by the UPA regime and passed by the Parliament.
It left many political observers and analysts guessing what happened by the little man that his effort could sound a death knell for the UPA under Dr Manmohan Singh.
The outcome of the five days fast-unto-death had such an national impact that, UPA suffered one of the most humiliating defeat in 2014 Lok Sabha polls getting an inglorious relegation down to only 44 seats in the parliament.
It was a kind of implosion that sank a vast citadel to ruins.
Voters have forgotten the momentum?
The Anna movement still raises some puzzling questions about India’s democracy. Do voters punish politicians who are perceived to be corrupt?
Most important, why has economic distress not triggered mass urban anger against the Narendra Modi-led NDA regime as it did with the UPA during its second term?
Voters somewhere loose to the whims and propaganda and the NDA regime did well to capitalize on that and as such the people were geared for a change post years of UPA monopoly and manipulations.
Despite a resounding come back in 2009, the euphoria waned as the UPA was riddled with charges of corruptions from CWG to 2G Spectrum and others.
A pertinent question still remains as why the angry urban is not reactive to the equally bigger irregularities like inflation, repo, medicine prices and now the Hindenburg expose on Adani scam.
Do we need another Anna?
