The war against corruption and for good governance needs to be fought relentlessly. But how should one go about it? Mr. Anna Hazare and Baba Ramdev launched their respective movements. Both leaders went on indefinite fasts. Both leaders created drama, publicity and controversy. Public revulsion against corruption was at its peak when their movements were launched. Both leaders aroused great hope. Both leaders attracted enormous media attention. They brought thousands to the street. But at the end of it all what did either leader tangibly achieve?

In fact the antics of both leaders diverted attention from several ongoing corruption cases. Mr. Anna Hazare concentrated public attention on the suitable provisions required for a proposed Jan Lokpal Bill. Baba Ramdev focused on the unexceptionable demand that money illegally stashed abroad should be brought back into the country. Neither leader made the slightest headway in actually fighting corruption or achieving their respective goals. Both leaders were inspired by the techniques of Mahatma Gandhi. But Gandhi struggled for independence. He was fighting alien rule under laws made by an alien power. He was fighting the system, not reforming it. Today India is independent. It has its own Constitution and laws made by representatives elected by the people. Law is a weapon that can be used by citizens to redress grievances.    

Contrast the performance of Mr. Hazare and Baba Ramdev with what has been achieved by Mr. Subramaniam Swamy, Mr. Ram Jethmalani and Mr. Prashant Bhushan. Mr. Swamy by relentlessly pursuing corruption cases in courts has achieved much more than what Mr. Hazare could. Mr. Jethmalani by using the courts and parliament has done more to expose the government’s chicanery related to protecting those guilty of illegally depositing money abroad than what all the antics of Baba Ramdev could. Most significantly, Mr. Prashant Bhushan who expended considerable time and energy on Mr. Hazare’s movement with no visible success achieved a historic victory against corruption by following his vocation as a distinguished lawyer and getting a court verdict that cancelled 122 Spectrum licenses issued fraudulently by the government.

Members of Team Anna complain that the political class consists of unresponsive and corrupt leaders. Therefore laws and the system need to be changed in order to help people redress grievances. They are wrong. They are being escapist. If the political class is inadequate it should be replaced.

It is not the Constitution and laws that need to be replaced. In fact the Constitution needs to be followed much more rigorously than is being done. Laws need to be observed much more diligently than are being done. The Constitution offers opportunity to all citizens to elect the kind of rulers that they seek. If none such exist among politicians already in the field the Constitution provides to all citizens the freedom of expression and the freedom of association to form their own political party and replace through legitimate election those who rule them.

That is the one honest solution to the problems of bad governance and corruption that confront the nation. However that is the obvious option that members of Team Anna and others who seek to combat the current crisis refuse to seize. Are they being honest with themselves or are they simply rationalizing their lack of courage?