Anna..even more..But really this far, and no farther...

Pratap Bhanu Mehta with a sensible suggestion to end the impasse...

Must say this is going to spaces that should make the core of Anna's support group (middle class Indians) very very uncomfortable. Look at the some of the collateral noises being made..

1. This is all because of "reforms" - the PM alluded to it in the IIM, Cal Golden Jubilee speech (separately, its a pity that the IIM-C event happens now, takes the attention away!). What balderdash! If anything, corruption is a result of not enough reforms. People remember the typical corruption cases in the '70s and '80s? Cement quota, gas quota, telephone quota - these were simply taken out of the equation because of MMS's 1991 effort. But with people like the Bhushan's, Swami Agnivesh and Medha Patkar (motivated, dedicated activists all, but with distinct ideological bents) joining the effort, the narrative is bound to get tricky.

2. "My way or the highway". I was listening to a speech by Arvind Kejriwal - the entire tenor was, "Jan Lokpal is all perfect, anything else is a vested interest talking". Tomorrow, SAS Geelani can sit on a dharna and fast @ Jantar Mantar, and say "my version of the Kashmir solution, ie, integration with Pak, or nothing else". The spirit of give-and-take that is at the core of a liberal democratic society is missing in the narrative. Again, something that the middle class supporters of Anna should worry about.

3. As a real collateral damage, the government is being let off the mat on crucial pending policy decisions - from GST to FDI in retail - stuff that is absolutely critical to countering the oncoming "Endgame" (as John Maldin describes it).