The other day senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh invited Anna Hazare to stage a dharna in Lucknow against the Mayawati government. “We will definitely join Anna’s dharna,” he told media with a big smile on his face. I wonder why he had not joined Anna’s dharna in Delhi? Just because it had a reflection on the scam tainted UPA government? Singh made every effort to defame Anna for his alleged links with the RSS, for which the only proof that he claimed to have was a letter written by the RSS chief telling the cadre to extend full support to Anna in his fight against corruption.

I wonder if Digvijay would become a criminal if 10 mafias (there are plenty in politics in the Hindi heartland) extended support to the secular cause espoused by him. What if mafia don Ateeq Ahmad supported his crusade against the BJP-RSS which in his words are communal forces? Would he become a criminal? So can Anna be called communl only because RSS has extended support to his campaign. By now people know that Singh is only pandering to minorities sentiments.

Corruption and criminalization of politics can’t be a matter of choice, which can be picked up and dumped according to the place or the person. If Singh can support Anna’s crusade against corruption inUttar Pradesh, then he can do the same in Delhi too, irrespective of the governments at the helm.

Now with elections round the corner, every party seems to be in a cleansing mode. The Samajwadi Party of Mulayam Singh Yadav, whose slackness or support to criminals is stated to be the reason behind Mayawati’s victory in the 2007 polls, faces a piquant situation. People want him to denounce criminals and his party’s support to them. Doing so would mean admission of the same.

But Mulayam is not taking any chances. While disciplining his cadre with an iron fist, he is out to send a message that he never supported criminals. People will ridicule his effort till he actually practised what he is preaching. Should it mean he would not field candidates with a criminal background despite his belief that no one can be dubbed criminal till convicted. That the conviction rate in UP is four percent is another matter.

Mayawati on the other hand is sacking ministers by the dozen. She has also dumped MLA’s every time they were found involved in a crime. One wonders if numbers were still in her favour — Mulayam’s son Akhilesh Yadav has been making noises about Mayawati government losing its majority in the Vidhan Sabha. Perhaps it’s time to check the numerical strengths.

That apart, sacking a minister who minted money for full five years is not less than making a mockery of the system. One wonders why action was delayed against the errant ministers till Lokayukta proved them corrupt.

Whatever, whether in Uttar Pradesh or its neighbouring Uttarakhand, corruption is on everyone’s agenda —perhaps a corruption free society may not remain a dream alone!!!