If the country believes the doctors attending on Anna, the situation is really becoming grim. But somehow it has become equally difficult to trust Manmohan or for that matter even the leadership of BJP. I don’t know why Manmohan is not taking a respectful exit and why Rahul and Sonia are not appreciating the need and agreeing for it. Why the other old man of BJP, LK Advani, is not hanging his boots and leaving the affairs to the leadership at the next levels, that doesn’t seem to relish his initiatives?

Manmohan has dropped his close aid Kapil Sibal and selected Pranab Mukharji to negotiate. And Pranab seems to be avoiding direct involvement and using Khurshid as intermediary that is causing misunderstanding and increasing the suspicion about the intention of the Party and the government.

Why are they negotiating in a way used for bargaining with the trade unionists?

One, who watched the proceedings of both houses of the parliament on August 24, the ninth day of Anna’s fast and read the opening statement made by the prime minister, can easily get confused. Why are the government and the prime minister playing smart with Anna?

On one hand it declared that it had sent the Jan Lokpal Bill to the standing committee. The other hand the prime minster statement says, it has requested the standing committee to consider Jan Lokpal Bill along with one from Aruna Ray.

“Accordingly, I wrote to him requesting him to end his fast and reiterated Government’s intention to pass the best possible Lokpal legislation with inputs from civil society and on the basis of the broadest possible consensus. I said that the matter was with the Standing Committee and the Committee was entitled to consider not only the Bill introduced by the Government but the Jan Lokpal Bill and other versions like those prepared by Shrimati Aruna Roy as well.”

I don’t understand why Jan Lokpal Bill as such can’t be the lone base to come out with the final bill? I don’t know why it can’t be introduced straight in the parliament for debate. Is it because of no precedence or the constitution prohibits it?

Different headlines in media are just emphasizing the Prime minister’s wish phrase of a strong and effective Lokpal with no breakthrough move to show that it really means that.

All the parties are singing their own tunes and there is hardly anyone to evolve a common tune in the interest of the old man and the nation. Perhaps they all are waiting when the health of Anna goes critical.

It’s unfortunate; the government appears to be directionless, the country doesn’t have a prime minister with guts and following to take a clear decision.