what a democracy
today's ndtv leading news is that according to pranab mookerjee, democracy is under peril and is being threatened by the so called 'civil society'. the charge made by a congress spokesman, is that anna hazare is being backed up by political parties. the latest charge is that he is speaking politician's language.
this raises important questions. what is democracy? do the citizens cease to have a say in any matter once they have elected their representatives. further if a citizen makes certain demands and some political party supports that demand, what is the citizen to do? should he withdraw his demand? should he forbid the political party to express any view on that demand? does he have the right to do that? is the ruling of the land an exclusive right of politicians? do the common citizens, including religious leaders, social organizations, and other groups, have no say and should have no say in the running of the government? is all this not a call to refrain from discussions about mis-governance except from the political forums? will this not, indirectly, mean a call for armed rebellion if the citizens are barred from normal expression of dissent?
and about speaking politician's language. he is expected only to make humble submissions through proper channel. he cannot make a direct statement because only politicains can do so and he should not speak politician language. these questions must be answered by all of us.