Why Anna Hazare’s Lokpal show flopped in Mumbai?

December 29, 10:00

Journalists are not always the best prophets when it comes to predicting the future (see how often they get poll results wrong), but when Anna Hazare announced his fast in Mumbai, the consensus was that it would be a flop show. Journalists here can take a bow: they were right, even more than they bargained for.
So what was different between Mumbai and Delhi, or what had changed from April to December, in just eight months? In hindsight, itis perhaps easy to say that Anna’s fast was doomed from the start for a variety reasons. It would seem that Team Anna made some cardinal mistakes while its main opposition, the Congress, played its cards far more astutely. There is some irony here, because ina column on August 23, I hadsaid Hazare’s success had much to do with his clever tactics, right timing, and the focus on the big picture. All three were missing this time.
First, as a leader, Hazare should have stayed focussed on the big picture and not on the details. He had wanted a Jan Lokpal that would oversee the PM and bureaucrats; to be honest, that is what the government’s bill offered. Details may vary, and always will, but as far as the common man saw it, the Congress-led government was actually making an effort to get a bill through and now, paradoxically, Team Anna was against it. This was perhaps the biggest mistake of all. Nevertake the people of India for granted. They will punish you, as many bruised politicians can swear by.
As far as the people were concerned, the fact that the government agreed to a Lokpal was proof of their success; asking for more sounded like seeking the spoils of war, and that is how the likes of Arvind Kejriwal and Kiran Bedi cameacross — desperate to promote themselves.
Timing was the second biggest mistake. Anna styleshimself as a Gandhian; one wishes he had learnt his lessons from Gandhi better. Gandhi led three major movements: Civil Disobedience, Salt March, and Quit India. There was a gap of a decade between each such movement. This gap reflected his understanding of India’s psychology. Few people can afford to keep taking time off from the daily drudgery of earning a living to back amovement, no matter how important for the country (and nothing was more important that India’s freedom). Giving long gaps allowed people to marshal their resources, earn some money to clear the outstanding debt, finish college, and prepare for thenext battle.
Here, Hazare goofed, and badly