A day after a bungling government made a mess of its strategy – if it ever had one — against Team Anna and scored one self-goal after another, Wednesday’s morning newspaper headlines, opinion page articles and editorials further reinforce the impression of a government that has completely lost the plot. The government now risks being trapped in a blind alley by Anna Hazare’s refusal to leave Tihar Jail until his demand to be allowed unconditionally to stage a huger strike to protest against the watered-down Lokpal Bill is conceded. [caption id=“attachment_62413” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption="“Corrupt, repressive and stupid”—sets the tone for the editorial, which castigates the government for revealing its “ugly, repressive face” in the manner it is dealing with Team Anna. AFP"]  [/caption] Perhaps the most severe and stinging editorial of the morning pack comes from The Hindu. The editorial notes that “a corrupt government devoid of moral authority is ill equipped to deal legitimately with public anger.” The editorial headline –“Corrupt, repressive and stupid”—sets the tone for the editorial, which castigates the government for revealing its “ugly, repressive face” in the manner it is dealing with Team Anna. The Hindu editorial charges the government with trying to push through a “farce of a bill” rather than capitalising on the several opportunities that presented themselves to thrash out a consensus with the civil society. It further says it would be foolish on the part of the government to believe that the campaign against corruption depends on “just one man and his team”. The newspaper says that the “real force which is shaking the UPA government—widely perceived to be the most corrupt government in the history of independent India—is made up of hundreds of thousands of ordinary citizens who are fed up with a system they believe is opague, corrupt and driven by greed”. The Hindu editorial ends with a warning to the government. “ If the UPA does not recognise the public anger against corruption, respect the ideals and values of democracy and takes steps to create a Lokpal that inspires confidence, there will be a political price to pay—perhaps well before the next general elections.” The front page of The Hindu, however, was a bit more sedate and conservative with a fairly bland headline “ Government arrests Anna, then blinks.” In sharp contrast was the Indian Express, which has been at the receiving end of the civil society’s wrath for the sharp position that it has taken these last few months against what it describes as the arbitrary, rigid and perhaps even unrepresentative views of Team Anna. The Indian Express front page has perhaps the most arresting headline of all the morning broadsheets and sums up both the mood and the government’s quandary best. “ Anna arrests Govt” is its punch line, but there is little power or passion in either the reportage or the newspaper’s editorial which is more critical of the government strategy rather than its intentions. In its editorial “ No middle ground?” the Indian Express counts the government’s missteps that compelled this pointless confrontation and says that “if the government looks outmanoeuvred for now, it need only recap its missteps to see why.” The newspaper criticises the government for capitulating before Anna in April and then bypassing other political parties while negotiating with the anti-graft crusaders on a Lokpal Bill draft with five nominees from either side - the government and civil society. The editorial blames the government for inviting the current crisis on itself to its failure to “initiate subjects of the day” and its failure to “initiate transactions of give-and-take with the opposition on productively setting an agenda for the session”. The headline for the Hindustan Times’ lead story reads: “Refusing to leave Jail, Anna holds government hostage.” The newspaper’s editorial says the government’s ham-handed response has allowed Anna and Co to get the upper hand. Comparing the situation to a world cup final , the newspaper says it’s clear which captain has worked out his strategy better this time around and who among the two is more proactive. Saying that it has “become all about a humble Anna taking on a mighty government,” the editorial says that rather than playing this “with the finesse of a Zen master” the government unleashed the “metaphorical water cannons on Anna & Co.” The editorial says the irony of the crusader for corruption being sent to the same jail as the former telecom minister A Raja and CWG organising committee chief Suresh Kalmadi is lost on no one. The editorial stretches the comparison with cricket and ends with its own homily to the government: “Perhaps, like a good cricket team, it is time the government went into a huddle and came up with Plan B before it crashes out of the game.” The advise sounds less like the opinion of an independent observer and—if I may also be forgiven for offering a cricketing turn of phrase here – more like the chairman of the selection board K Srikkant asking Dhoni & Co to cheer up and marshal the resources at their disposal with better care after the series in England is lost! [fpgallery id =147] The Economic Times has, in its editorial, asked the government to “show your hand”, noting that in order to credibly take on Anna, the government must have its own initiative on corruption. The front-page headline “Starved of ideas, govt takes fasting Anna all over Delhi” is equally critical: it details how, from arrest to release , the government muddled as people’s anger boiled over to every part of the country. In comparison to Indian Express and Hindustan Times , The Times of India has presented a much straighter bat on the issue! It does not suffer from the perceived need to try and look politically correct, reflecting popular opinion and at the same time either not saying anything substantial at all while trying to trash the civil society and support the government between the lines. “Government can’t stop the August Kranti” is The Times of India’s headline; its editorial, “Wrongful arrest”, talks of how the government action against Anna Hazare leaves it isolated and without goodwill. In addition to taking the government to task , The Times of India editorial does not spare the opposition either, saying “The opposition also deserves their share of blame for failing to properly debate the Lokpal issue in the parliament.” The editorial ends by noting that “with the government now stonewalling meaningful action against graft and muzzling those questioning its sincerity, it rightly stands accused of high-handedness and moral bankruptcy.”
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