By Yatindra Bhatnagar

India's Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee seems to have forgotten Mahatma Gandhi when he bluntly, and arrogantly, criticized Gandhian activist Anna Hazare and Yoga Guru Baba Ramdev as "Self-appointed Messiahs."

His other Congress colleagues, notably the notoriously outspoken Digvijay Singh and other Congress spokespersons, have termed the anti-corruption campaigners as "unelected dictators."

The older generation of Mukherjee and Singh must remember that Mahatma Gandhi was never elected to any post in the Congress organization (he was not even an ordinary "four Anna member" of Congress). In those days the membership fee was only four Annas (one fourth of a Rupee). Gandhiji never paid that amount and was not formally a member of Congress organization.

Mahatma Gandhi was also never elected to Parliament and never held the office of a Minister in a state or the Central government.

But who could forget that Gandhiji wielded enormous influence in the Congress organization, and in the country. He would threaten to, and would also, go on ‘fast-unto-death' for causes he held dear.

Mahatma Gandhi would decide on important issues without caring what the others said or did. Instances are numerous when he took decisions without caring for other opinions on violent acts of freedom fighters, of breaking British laws, of touring riot-affected areas, of offering Mohammad Ali Jinnah the post of Prime Minister if he would just abandon his demand for a separate homeland for Muslims - Pakistan.
He also insisted that 55 crore rupees be handed over to the newly-created Pakistan by a newly-created India even as India was fighting a war with Pakistan after the latter had attacked Jammu & Kashmir and tried to annex that princely state by force. Pakistan had acted with utter disregard and contempt for the Independence Act under which the Muslim nation was carved out of India. Yet Gandhiji insisted on the immediate payment and had his way as the then government of India wilted under his pressure.

Didn't he behave like a Dictator? An unelected Dictator?

Gandhiji sure acted like an all-powerful dictator. And there are numerous other instances of his opinion imposed on others, the whole organization and the nation.

Still Mahatma Gandhi was regarded as the Great Soul, a saint, an undisputed leader, a Messiah. He is still the best known things Indian - Taj Mahal is the other - in the entire world. His statues - and roads/institutions in his name - are in hundreds all over India. No other human has more statues and more roads and institutions named after him than Mahatma Gandhi is scores of other countries. Thousands of books have been written about him, his philosophy, his life and his many-faceted contribution to humanity.

The only ‘competitor' to Gandhiji is probably Jesus Christ - another Messiah who never was elected to any organization or held any post, and is revered by billions of people all over the world.

Still Pranab Babu, and his cohorts in the Congress organization, have the nerve to question the status of some leaders with mass following who are on a crusade for good causes - like Mahatma Gandhi - and would not give up. Had Gandhiji been alive he would himself have spearheaded the campaign against corruption and stashing of India's enormous funds in foreign banks. He had always maintained that the rich are only the custodians of the nation's wealth, the people's money. The irony is that the Congress-led UPA governments leaders also declare that ending corruption is their top priority yet slander those who are actively, and honestly, waging a war on the evil.

Pranab Mukherjee has been elected to India's Parliament about a dozen times but only once as a representative directly elected by the people (to Lok Sabha). He got elected to Rajya Sabha, in indirect elections (elected by elected representatives). But that's okay as the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh himself, is an indirectly elected Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha, that too from distant Assam state where he doesn't have roots or any record of public service). Buts that's also okay in a democracy as practiced by India's politicians.

However, as the Hindustan Times and other news media reported, July 1, that Pranab Mukherjee lashed out at Anna Hazare and Baba Ramdev calling them "self-appointed messiahs."

The reports said that dubbing Anna Hazare, Baba Ramdev and their followers as "handful of self-appointed messiahs," Pranab Mukherjee lambasted the group stating that parliamentary democracy is being challenged by them. According to him, they have no accountability to anyone and are igniting sentiments through hunger strikes.

Mukherjee, speaking at the first post-election victory rally of state Congress in Kolkata, said "Some people, a handful of people are challenging democracy. They are talking about fast unto death. Discussion and dialogue is possible, but this does not mean that parliament will not make laws. Will they make laws?" said Mukherjee.

"Some self-appointed messiahs will make laws. They do not have any accountability to anyone. They are igniting sentiments. This has no place in democracy," said Mukherjee.

Mukherjee stated that the Constitution has made it clear what the Parliament will do and what state legislative assemblies will do. He stated that there is provision of seeking public opinion on any bill, if MLAs and MPs want.

"We regularly post bills on website and seek public opinion. But fasting is not the way," he said. Mukherjee stated that the group is taking advantage of certain inadequacies and deficiencies. [He also forgot that an activist Potti Sriramulu's fast-unto-death (followed by large public support) forced the government of India to create a separate Andhra Pradesh.]

Top Congress leaders have cried hoarse declaring that ending corruption is their top priority. But they also forget that this malaise has increased many folds during their long rule and most of the culprits and suspects are either leaders of Congress, their allies and their supporters. No doubt, many others in different fields of activity are also in the money-making-and-hiding game but they also more often than not get help and support from the rulers. The victims are always the common people of India.

Regarding the Constitution, democracy, and accountability the less said the better. The Congress and its rulers have violated and subverted the Constitution - the glaring example is imposition of Emergency in 1975. The concept and practice of democracy are not confined to holding and winning elections; it is to take the opinion/feelings of the people and acting in the public interest.

Accountability is more often than not missing as very few are held accountable for their acts of omission and commission among the so-called elite in politics and business, bureaucracy and judiciary.
Had the Constitution been followed in letter and spirit, had democracy been practiced in all its facets, had accountability enforced in every case of lapse of judgment or blunder, the country would have reached unprecedented heights of honesty, efficiency, public trust, prosperity, and overall success of a nation.

Sadly, we are lacking in these fields and no amount of economic growth of some can answer the utter poverty of many. No amount of shouting from the roof top about ending corruption can hide the fact that hundreds of billions of dollars change hands illegally, invested anywhere and everywhere unlawfully, taken out of India clandestinely and misused enormously.