This refers to the editorial “Confused and rudderless” (June 7). I think one can trace the rise of protesters like Baba Ramdev and Anna Hazare to the complacence of the government in responding to matters of public concern and an ineffective opposition. The vacuum thus created has brought civil-society leaders to centre stage. Besides, the government’s reliance on the National Advisory Council (NAC) – which is an extra-constitutional authority – is only encouraging. Since the government has abdicated its law drafting responsibility in key area to this body, it is only natural for the likes of Anna Hazare to think that they too have the right to draft laws. The world’s largest democracy runs the risk of becoming a caricature of itself. This should be a cause of anxiety not only for the intelligentsia but also for the aam admi.
Y G Chouksey, Pune
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