Some 36 years ago an innocuous election petition argued by one of the present civil society members a non descript lawyer in those days called Shanti Bhushan caused turbulence in political India. The then sitting Prime Minister was declared to have adopted corrupt electroal practices and her election was set aside by a judge who also debarred her from contesting election for 6 years. The sin was that her election agent Yashpal Kapur was a government servant against the provisions of Representation of peoples act. Well Raj Narain had lost that election by a whopping margin of over a lakh of votes. The judge believed that by employing Yashpal Kapur, Indira Gandhi was able to register a landslide victory. If it were true, then Yashpal Kapur could be possibly the most admired man in India with a following large enough to be bracketed along side Mahatma Gandhi and Nehru who had such adulation and following. What followed thereafter is a black chapter in Indian History.

The media was silent when Baba Ramdev and his followers were driven out of the Ramlila grounds by the Delhi police. Baba Ramdev is not urban and suave and educated even though he has a larger fan following than Anna Hazare. Anna Hazare for all his simplicity showed his arrogance in every utternaces of his vis- a vis political class. IF the civil society believes that the present political class is corrupt and can be trusted, they should form a party and fight elections on this plank and win a mandate. Then they can bring forward whatever legislations that think is right. But the polling percentage in urban India is well below 50% while in Rural india is far in excessof 60-70%. You can not withdraw from a political system and then be scornful. You can not hold hostage an elected goverment by issuing threats and conducting fasts These are real dangers to Democracy.