The Never Ending Grill

The last few days have been quite compelling for Indian politics. First Anna Hazare and his team went on hunger strike, then they had to face our stubborn government’s hostility and then, when all hopes of a consensus were lost, Anna Hazare decided to jump into political swamp.

During the course of the fast, the activities at Jantar Mantar were carefully watched by the media. Many sections of the society took a dig at Team Anna by saying that all the hype was created by the media and the movement had no impact on the public besides those present at Jantar Mantar. Albeit, it may sound partly correct that media was primarily responsible for the kind of attention Team Anna got. But, it doesn’t mean that Anna Hazare or Team Anna were created by the media or made them who they are. Team Anna members, be it Arvind Kejriwal, Kiran Bedi or Prashant Bhushan have all done great things for our society and very few would dare question their credibility. 

When Anna Hazare announced his decision to jump into politics, the media started to question his decision and especially, the timing of the announcement. Media began to suggest that it was Team Anna’s defeat at the hands of government, simply because Anna hazare is an activist, so, he should have refrained from politics. What was more striking was no one tried to focus on the circumstances under which he had to take the decision and probably it was the last option available for them.

 Anna Hazare had made it crystal clear that he took this decision only after getting positive response from the public and he will not contest in the elections under any circumstances. The media continuously questioned the logic behind the decisions made by Team Anna. For instance, earlier, it was questioned that why Kejriwal and other members are not fasting with Hazare and when they did, it was asked, are they too ambitious? In a way Team Anna’s image was dented by the media. If things are questioned continuously, then, at some level it becomes a statement. 

It’s not that Team Anna members are perfect, conflicts are bound to arise in any group. They have made mistakes and the media always pointed them out.

Overall response of the media to the whole situation seemed a little biased. In my views, Anna Hazare deserves a lot more praise for their dedication towards the whole cause of eradicating corruption, and we should understand that the path they have chosen is the last and arguably the most challenging.