By Firoz T.Totanawala
The Bangalore Metro Reporter
YOUR ATTENTION PLEASE!
ATTEMPTS TO CLOSE LOKAYUKTA, WHERE IS TEAM ANNA?
Anna Hazare, the messiah of anti corruption is fighting hard for the implementation of his Jan Lokpal Bill. And back home in Karnataka, leading politicians are publicly targeting the retired Lokayukta, Santosh Hegde and accusing him of conspiracy. They have gone to the extent of speaking about the very abolition of the revered chair. And surprisingly, Anna Hazare and his team is least bothered to defend or comment on this dangerous state of affairs in Karnataka.
When Arvind Kejrival of Team Anna was exposed for his omissions and commissions, Team Anna, thundered that the government is trying to discredit them and Kejrival had done no wrong. Later, Kejrival also had to cough out 7 lakhs to the Income Tax. This he did and made a sweeping charge that the government is out to get him to weaken his fight and Team Anna.
Similarly, when Prashanth Bhushan another prominent member of Team Anna, was assaulted by few Kashmiri Youths for his anti national statement with regard to Kashmir, Team Anna registered strong protest. Likewise, when Kiran Bedi was charged with misappropriation, Anna Hazare himself first gave a clean chit to Kiran Bedi by stating that what she did was not wrong!
But interestingly, the same Team Anna has not bothered to utter a single word against the attempts in the state by the leaders who are day in and day out denigrating former Lokayukta Justice Santosh Hegde. Mind it, Santosh Hegde is also a prominent member of the Team Anna who led the Jan Lokpal movement in the state when Anna was fasting at Ramlila grounds.
In fact, when Anna Hazare visited the state to create public opinion over the Jan Lokpal Bill, the state was literally at the mercy of highly corrupt politicians headed by the then Chief Minister B.S.Yeddyurappa, but, he never criticised the all pervading corruption in the state. In fact, the Mining scam probe by Lokayukta Santosh Hegde was almost ready then. The media was full of colourful stories of Yedurappa’s multi crore scams, yet Anna kept silent on the corruption scenario in the state.
After Santosh Hegde submitted the Mining scam report, the BJP High Command was forced to ask Yedurappa to resign. This was a national sensation and here again; Team Anna kept a studied silence. They also did not appreciate Santosh Hegde’s Herculean efforts in digging out the truth, which to be fair, acts as a Bible to learn about the Mining and the scams, in all its dimensions. They acted as if the Lokayukta report on the Mining scam and the subsequent sacking of Yedurappa was not a matter of concern. Not even a press statement from Team Anna applauding the efforts of Santosh Hegde was issued.
Now, the state BJP and the BJP government headed by the CM D.V.Sadananda Gowda, is leaving no stone unturned to attack Santosh Hegde who had since retired from the Lokayukta post. None of the leaders dared to criticise Hegde when he was the Lokayukta for fear of inviting the wrath of the general public and contempt. But, post his retirement, they are reveling in using abusive language against him.
The other day, Yedurappa publicly charged Santosh Hegde of conspiracy to send him to Jail. He had also leveled serious charges against Santosh Hegde acting at the behest of Congress and JDS to unseat him from power. The DVS government on its part has sent back the Mining scam report to the Lokayukta seeking clarifications.
Besides Yedurappa, many other leaders including State BJP President K.S.Eswarappa are hurling abuses some of which cross the border of decency and decorum. KSE had talked loudly about the need to reconsider the continuation of the Lokayukta itself.
All these developments are anti thesis of the fight against corruption. And Team Anna who has vowed to fight and root out corruption through their version of Jan Lokpal Bill is keeping quite as if the Karnataka issues are not their concern.
To put in bluntly, the Team Anna is not prepared to take a look at the assault on the Lokayukta in Karnataka which is also an attack on the fight against corruption. But what has prevented Team Anna to support Karnataka‘s fight against corruption? What prevents them to defend the Lokayukta and their team member Santosh Hegde? Is it because Santosh Hegde, has refused to toe the political line by the Team Anna? It is another matter that Santosh Hegde does not praise Anna Hazare to the skies. He also does not compare him to Mahatma Gandhi or other great people. Time and again Santosh Hegde had made it clear that his association with Team Anna is limited to Jan Lokpal and not other aspects including the political campaign.
True, Santosh Hegde is capable of defending himself from the attack by the state BJP and its government. But, it is Team Anna which has suffered loss of face in the whole episode by keeping quite. May be they apply different standards to our Karnataka state and that explains their deafening silence!
And that is all.
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