DJ Anna-Ramdev & the corruption remix

With the disbanding of the so-called Team Anna, a whole group of familiar faces has disappeared from our television screens. For a year now we have seen these worthies hold forth at prime time about how they — and they alone — are fighting a venal Congress and trying to get a Lokpal Bill passed.

Their tone has often been strident and sanctimonious, their attitude condescending, but since they were in the news, there was no option but to hear their point of view. 
When the circus began last April, all television channels were enthralled by Anna Hazare. The spokespersons became mini media stars. But as it gradually became clear that the Jan Lokpal Bill was full of troubling provisions and that there was a broader agenda, other panellists and even anchors began to voice their scepticism. Of late, the Hazare group has been on the defensive, trying to clarify their various flip-flops and blatant anti-Congressism. Public support has been visibly waning. And now, with the announcement that a political party is going to be formed to fight the next elections, the fig leaf of being above the fray has finally dropped. It turns out that Team Anna’s more prominent faces had political ambitions all along. Nothing wrong with that, except that they had all along attacked politicians so it was natural to assume that they would stay away from jumping into the pool they claimed was full of slime. One consequence of all this has been that they are no longer in demand as panellists on verbose chat shows and we will see less and less of them.
Quietly and smoothly, Baba Ramdev has moved into Delhi’s Ambedkar Stadium and taken over the space vacated by Mr Hazare. At first the hirsute yogi tried to join Mr Hazare, but when it became clear that the latter’s team resented it — witness the contretemps between Arvind Kejriwal and Ramdev on naming politicians — the baba tactically withdrew. Then he began his own agitation and with leaders of different political parties offering support to his cause — bringing back black money stashed away in foreign banks — he suddenly became newsworthy. Mr Hazare has now been replaced by Baba Ramdev.
But there is a stark difference between the supporters of Mr Hazare and Baba Ramdev. The former was mainly backed by those from the urban middle and upper middle-classes who related to “corruption” as an issue. They genuinely felt that Mr Hazare’s remedy — a draconian Jan Lokpal Bill which had overarching powers over all branches of government — was the best way to deal with mendacious politicians and low-level government officials. If they understood the dangers inherent in creating such a dictatorial bureaucracy, they did not care — India can only be ruled by the danda has long been a favourite mantra of the bourgeoisie. With their backing Mr Hazare managed to bring the government and Parliament to its knees and would have achieved his goal had he and his team not got ambitious. By going after the Congress and by getting dazzled by their own hubris, they essentially scored several self-goals and eventually fizzled out.
Ramdev on the other hand has a core following who are devoted acolytes. They belong to a different demographic — the small towns in the Hindi belt and a different kind of middle class. They follow this saffron-wearing, yogic-looking baba with devotion and his word is enough for them. He keeps his message simple — there is a lot of Indian wealth abroad which must be brought back. Not for him complex stuff like treaties, the laws of foreign governments etc. He doesn’t talk of history or context and nor does he want to get into why the NDA did not take steps in that direction when it was in power. His devotees don’t care either. That makes him more effective.
Ramdev does not need slick spokespersons who can debate and discuss on television; he is his best spokesman. Unlike Mr Hazare, the baba knows how television works; after all he gained fame through this medium. He speaks in simple — and simplistic — language and the message goes straight to his followers who have been with him for a long time. They show their full-throated support for him by turning up when he calls them rather than sitting at home and tweeting or posting messages on Facebook.
To the Opposition parties, especially the BJP, which is looking for ways to oust the Congress and the UPA, Ramdev is more valuable. Mr Hazare showed early potential but eventually burnt out. His repudiation of the help given to him by the RSS and the remarks made by some of his team members against BJP leaders was the last straw. His political backers soon realised he was of no use and they began to desert him. Besides, there is also a chance that the new political party could also affect non-Congress candidates in some areas, which does not bode well for the Opposition.
Ramdev, on the other hand, has his uses. He could be a force-multiplier for the Opposition. That is why the BJP president and many other politicians were quick to support his cause. The baba’s bhakts will vote for anyone he tells them to. He has real currency to offer, unlike Mr Hazare, whose fans are fickle and probably do not vote in the first place.
Yet, banking on Ramdev for political dividend may not be without risk. Experience shows that while sundry babas and swamis have followers, none of them have been able to make a long-term impact in politics. They may win a seat or two, perhaps even defeat some candidates, but they lack sustaining power. Ramdev’s apparent popularity could turn out to be a chimera and vanish before the general elections in 2014. Media hype has a habit of dissipating before you know it. Ask Mr Hazare.
Nevertheless, in a high-stakes electoral game, when every seat will count, political parties can do with all the help they get. At the very least, the Hazares and Ramdevs will keep the UPA and especially the Congress preoccupied and on the back foot. We will hear more of Ramdev in the coming months. The UPA seems to have learnt a few lessons from its earlier mishandling of Ramdev, but is still on unsure ground on how to deal with him. As Mr Hazare fades into the background, the Congress will be wondering who will rid them of this meddlesome priest.