Sri Sri Ravi Shankar to campaign against corruption in UP

LUCKNOW: Siritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar will embark on an anti-corruption yatra in UP from November 7 in which he would be holding satsangs in various parts of the state, and would ask people to take oath for not indulging in corruption.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar would start from Jaunpur on November 7 and will be in Sonebhadra on November 8. He would go to Mirzapur on November 9 and Sultanpur on November 10. He would end his trip in Kanpur on November 11. He would also be visiting IIT Kanpur.

Significantly, the yatra is being conducted at a time when political parties in UP are gearing for 2012 assembly elections and Congress is in the back foot on the issue of corruption. While Baba Ramdev is already on a yatra targeting Congress, Anna Hazare has announced to tour UP asking people not to vote for Congress party in 2012 assembly elections in case Congress led UPA government fails to bring a strong lokpal in winter session of Parliament. In such a situation, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's yatra may create more trouble for the Congress.

The yatra also assumes importance in the light of Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh's statement that RSS has put up Sri Sri Ravin Shankar after its plan A (Baba Ramdev's campaign against corruption) and plan B (Anna Hazare's anti-corruption campaign) failed. Not only Digvijay Singh, even SP leader Azam Khan has alleged that RSS is behind Baba Ramdev, Anna Hazare and Sri Sri Ravi Shankar despite the fact that Anna Hazare has categorically denied any links with RSS.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has also made it clear that in his campaign is spiritual and not political or for lokpal. He had said that lokpal alone cannot curb corruption, hence he would be making a spiritual appeal to people to shun corruption. Last week, he had administered an oath to nearly one lakh people, asking them not to give or take bribe.

Sri Sri had supported the anti-corruption campaign of Baba Ramdev and Anna Hazare. Responding to Digvijay Singh's allegations, he had also said that fighting corruption is no crime and he would go on educating people on the ill effect of corruption on society.

A generation has not seen Congress rule in UP-Bihar

Can you guess the dilemma of the Congress candidates in Uttar Pradesh nowadays? Not Anna Hazare. Not his campaign against corruption. Instead, it’s the disturbing realisation that a generation has grown up in this politically crucial state without experiencing a Congress rule.

The last when the Congress was in power in Uttar Pradesh was in the late 1980’s. Those born even in mid 1980’s have no clue how the Congress rule was like – better or worse than the political regimes they have grown up with.

Little wonder they mention names of Mayawati, Mulayam Singh Yadav every time discussion on future chief minister crops up. Even the BJP rule they don’t seem to remember as the party changed the leadership thrice – Kalyan Singh, Ram Prakash Gupta and Rajnath Singh. Yes, they do remember the divisive politics of mandal and mandir though.

And even as chief minister Mayawati is busy despatching letters to the prime minister demanding quota for minorities, economically backward upper castes and now Jats, quota in admissions in educational institutions as well as in jobs appeared to be the major concern of youth during campus adda that HT had organised across UP and Uttarakhand. Our idea was primarily to gauge the mood of the youth, how far it is gearing up to cast its vote and what are the poll issues that concern them.

Imagine Congress leaders expect that generation to vote for the party that had not only messed up Anna’s anti-corruption movement but is also favouring extension of quota on religious grounds. We thought quota was meant for socially and economically backward classes irrespective of the faith they follow.

The scenario has been no different in neighbouring Bihar.

I am sure this is not going to be music to Congress ears. With elections not very far off, the Congress will have to do some miracle to break the 20-odd year long vanvas. There is growing feeling that the party trump card Rahul Gandhi can’t ride them to victory. Some concerned voices from the Congress are already suggesting an extensive campaign by Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, in whom people find the political acumen of her grandmother Indira Gandhi besides the looks. To believe that there was an undercurrent in its favour as people were fed up with the ‘misrule’ of regional parties would be living in fool’s paradise.

A Congress leader in Agra, planning to contest election from an urban seat, confided the other day, “What should we do? People who know us are polite. But they do convey their anger over the soaring prices while reminding us about the scams tumbling out of Congress cupboards.”

The fact is, Anna is not merely haunting the Congress leaders, all other parties stand scared. At a dinner meet recently, politicians virtually rained abuses on Anna while insisting that caste alone would be the driving force in the coming elections. Then why worry?

As the election scenario perks up in the states heading for polls in early 2012, the picture in Uttar Pradesh continues to be hazy, more so about the Congress prospects.