Shoot the messenger.

That seems to be the government's mantra now days. As much as one may disagree with the methods of the anti-corruption lobby, one cannot ignore the way the government is dealing with the issue. When cajoling and threatening did not work the government resorted to letting their dirty tricks department take over. As soon as a protest/activist becomes bigger than what they can manage, we start reading about their undisclosed assets, misappropriation of funds, shady aides and so on. I am not sure about what one would term the activists dharnas as, but this is definitely criminal blackmail and intentional mudslinging.

The fact that the govt. believes that releasing such information will dent people's faith in these individuals, is a testament of their short-sightedness. The govt.'s first instinct to a protest is 'stop this as quickly as we can'. The intention is always to stop the protest from taking place in public view. That is when we see sleazy politicians emerge, meet the activists, telling them 'let us take this inside'. Deals are promised, brokered, broken. I realize that both sides are involved in this whole tamasha, but the govt. is expected to behave in a much more responsible manner.

What also has got my goat is the fact the govt. had all the dope on these guys. If they knew or were certain that these activists were involved in illegal activities/have undisclosed assets; why has it waited for so long to take action. This is criminal negligence of the highest order. Indeed it is willful participation in suppressing the facts. The fact the govt. has prepared dossiers on activists, does not surprise me, the fact no one in the media brought it up, does. The message is clear: do not oppose us, we have dirt on you. This fifties style McCarthyism is a dangerous trend in our democracy.

Compare the campaign against the activists with what is happening to the politicians who are implicated in far more serious crimes. Suresh Kalmadi, A Raja, Kanimozhi. All of these people had years to cover their tracks before they even were booked! And here is our elected government threatening lowly civil activists, evicting them using force, publishing their financial records, and generally behaving like a bully who has been shamed by a much smaller kid. The congress spokesperson recently called Hazare an unelected tyrant. Ironically that term describes our existing power centers perfectly, Dr. Singh (unelected) and Ms. Gandhi (tyrant).

The government needs to acknowledge the issues being raised are legitimate and needs to stop undermining the people who raise them. After years of striking deals, buying over opponents, forming coalition govts with the opposition, the government has forgotten what dialogue means. The govt needs to rise above the individuals and give us answers. The leaders who raise them might be tainted, the questions are definetly not!