Read the six back to back Tweets below at sharp 3 pm today (once I Googled Anna Hazaare in the realtime section):

AakashRaje‎ RT @AnupamPkher: My best wishes to Anna Hazare, his team and millions of Indians for today’s fast at Rajghat. Me we win our battle against #Corruption.:)
Twitter - seconds ago
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Krupakar_m‎ I doubt that Anna Hazare is having some dry fruits as backup in his topi
Twitter – seconds ago
‎
rpmishra‎ May God bless Anna in every child born in India. Let’s be one. #Anna #Hazare #Corruption #India
Twitter - seconds ago
‎
EbyChembola‎ Where is Anna Hazare supporters ?? No candle vigil today???
Twitter – 2 minutes ago
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anarchnelson‎ RT @dileep_gg: Is this ramdev fighting against corruption???Is Anna Hazare fasting for this man who threaten the peace of country and ppl???
Twitter – 2 minutes ago
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farozan‎ RT @amoghranadive: Anna Hazare will fast unto death again. 2 near death stunts in a span of 2 months? Dude be livin’ on the wild side.
Twitter – 2 minutes ago
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lindsaypereira‎ Anna Hazare has asked his followers to put pressure on corporate India by abandoning their fields on Farmville.
Twitter – 3 minutes ago

Six different voices in less than three minutes. Within the six it’s praise to ridicule, all for Anna.

Except two or probably three at most (lindsaypereira‎, EbyChembola‎ and AakashRaje), the unconditional support and momentum that Anna enjoyed during his April fast is surely missing. And this is not something that happened at 3 pm alone. Try it at your end now and you will find a fair share of doubts, ridicule, praise and at times abuses for Anna.

April was different.

Anna’s supporters were passionate; everyone said that his reasons for the fast were logical. The timing was unequivocally fantastic with India having just won the Cricket World Cup after 28 years. Even Congress General Secretary Digvijay Singh didn’t dare say much about Anna’s soft corner for the right wing. Uma Bharti and political leaders who tried to score political points on the issue were shooed away from Jantar Mantar. Muslims and Hindus were dancing together in support of Anna. People could be easily found making donations of a thousand rupee with a sense of conviction that the money will be spent for the right purpose. The parents brought their children to Jantar Mantar to give them a feel of how movements are. It was all spontaneous.

Anna had started his fast on Tuesday, April 5. The momentum kept gaining strength with every next day.  With weekend arriving and fears of the wildfire of anti-corruption campaign gaining increased momentum, the government went into panic mode, accepting nearly all demands and agreeing to bring Lokpal Bill in the next session of the Parliament.

The columns and articles raising doubts about Anna Hazaare setting wrong precedent were written then as well, but even there was caution about bluntly criticising Anna and his movement.

Things have definitely changed since then.

The gap between the protagonists of Anna Hazare’s anti-corruption campaign and those saying it to be unconstitutional and undemocratic has widened. First came the issue of the father-son duo of Shanti Bhushan and Prashant Bhushan joining the panel as civil society representative.  Then Anna praised Narendra Modi and his governance. Next started coming Anna’s statement on every single issue. Other RTI activist started raising questions about the credentials of Arvind Kejriwal and finally the ‘tampered CD’, throwing the Bhushans into near oblivion. Though Anna did get standing ovation in Guwahati and many other places he went to.

Baba jumps into the fray

With hardly a couple of meetings of the Lokpal Bill drafting committee having taken place, Baba Ramdev soon jumped the bandwagon with his own fast and much larger fan following. The same Baba had came out in ‘unequivocal’ support of Anna Hazaare in April at Jantar Mantar. Everyone started questioning, of course except Baba’s supporters, if this is the way this country is supposed to work as? The government which earlier tried to woo the Baba finally had to ‘Hijack’ him, finding itself once again on the wrong side of the fence with even the Supreme Court and National Human Rights Commission question its early morning ‘Emergency Like’ action (As BJP leader Lal Krishna Advani put it).

And now we have Anna once again fasting against government’s undemocratic removal of Baba Ramdev and his supporters.

Think for a moment and read the headlines in all the foreign newspapers about everything that’s being written about India, its PM Manmohan Singh and the corruption.

Back to Anna

Somehow, the support for Anna has remained intact but the bond is withering away. People who have liked the India Against Corruption page on the social networking site Facebook have started questioning ‘too much of politics’.

In a country which soon forgets and forgives the biggest of the momentous developments, will Anna Hazaare continue to flourish? His survival has never been in question. It can’t be doubted even now. But, if his movement loses more momentum, which has already begun, even Anna might find himself into the oblivion. Anna needs to tread his path carefully.

PS: May not the government have the last laugh.

 

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