In India, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who once enjoyed a strong reputation for integrity and intelligence, has been similarly paralyzed, acting erratically in the face of an equally demagogic populist movement – the anti-graft crusade led by a fasting activist, Anna Hazare – which just ended in a frantic and uneasy compromise. Hazare, egged on by a flag-waving and indignant urban middle class and sensation-seeking media, tries mightily to claim Mahatma Gandhi’s mantle; he is good at mimicking Gandhi’s piety, but lacks his root wisdom.
曾经以诚实智慧闻名于世的印度总理曼莫汉·辛格如今也已陷入瘫痪，面对同样蛊惑人心的民粹运动无法采取统一有效的行动。这次民粹运动是由绝食活动家安纳·赫扎尔领导的反腐败改革运动，前不久刚刚以充满狂热混乱的妥协宣告结束。赫扎尔在义愤填膺地挥舞着旗帜的城市中产阶级和以感性为追求目标的媒体怂恿下，用尽一切手段夺取圣雄甘地的衣钵，他善于模仿甘地的虔诚，但却不具备甘地赖以为本的智慧。