August Kranti

Last two weeks have been enriching and a great learning experience for me. Honestly, I had lost faith in our politicians and our parliamentary system. My frustrations were on a all time high also because I thought we all were only good Argumentative Indians ( As Amritya Sen says in his book with the same title ) in the drawing rooms or at best in local trains or restaurants, over a cup of tea or a mug of beer to cheer our sagging morals. But no I was proven wrong once again. It’s said in Geeta “ yada yada hi dharmasya …” that whenever there is a danger of dharma & truth losing the battle, the God takes birth in some form or other as a savior.

Well this time around too it is he who was on the scene, directing a finger towards Anna to be the torch bearer, as Anna himself put it in his simple way. And Anna did an excellent job of bringing people from all sections and age groups to stand behind him for this noble cause. Graft was the focal point in our lives for a long, but it reached its’ nadir in recent past. So it was a very apt time for someone like Anna to pick up the torch. We needed to rise from the depth of despair and darkness hovering around us as dark clouds.

The politicians had the arrogance of absolute power and of misplaced authority they thought they all have to do anything and still get away with it. The fact that not a single politician or a bureaucrat had been subjected to a strong punitive action for a serious graft in last six decades, gave them this misplaced notion and took them on their ego trips. Someone or something was needed to push them and their arrogance to a corner and force them to take some corrective and positive steps. Well, this movement did that. It’s only sad that it took them so long a time to gauge the mood of the common man.

Agreed, we have hundreds of things wrong with our country and system, but every once a while something or someone comes along and restores our faith and hope. There may be a section of society who criticized Anna’s methods and means. Still even they cannot but agree about and discount the incredible impact this movement has had on our polity and society. The same youth who were termed the other day as net savvy - chat hungry, disco loving people, living on staple food of Valentine days, Mothers’ & Fathers’ and Teachers’ day greetings, stood behind Anna for a better future. Indeed they all want a CHANGE and with immediate effect, and so do we all.

Yesterday was a defining moment in the history of Independent India. The politicians rose to the occasion, albeit later the expected. The debates in the parliament were of a very high order. If Arun Jaitley & Sushma Swaraj were extraordinarily brilliant, the young Turks like Varun Gandhi & Sindia were good too. Abhishek Manusinghavi and Sitaram Yechuri were excellent in their matured and measured speech. Our PM, Shri Manmohan Singh too acted and spoke like a statesman. All in all it was reminiscent of good old days when Atal Behari Vajpeyi, Ram Manohar Lohiya, Somnath Chatterjee, Pandit Nehru, Krishnamenon and others laid the foundation of a strong democratic parliamentary system. Finally a resolution was passed with thumping of benches, giving a sense of unanimity to the agenda of the debate.

It’s truly a win – win situation for the civic society and the polity. It’s truly a victory of our people and our democracy. What also stood out was the impeccable behavior of the masses. For once not a single untoward incidence took place anywhere in the country. No damage to any public property was reported the administration, the police and the people, all of them, need a salute. It showed us all that our voices can be heard and registered even through non violence.

Three cheers to Gandhigiri in full show. It was really a great reality show, peacefully conducted by the anchor Anna and his team.

Anna's Andhi - End Game in sight

As I write this blog the end game may be right underway on the Anti Corruption Protest. Our Honorable PM Shri Manmohan Singh, Leaders of Opposition Party in both the houses Smt. Sushama Swaraj & Shri Arun Jetli showed great statesmanship in appealing jointly to Shri Anna Hazare to end his fast. What stood out also was that the Speaker of the house, Smt. Meera Kumar Stood and joined hands in the appeal. I felt it was a great step forward. The voice is heard and registered and so Anna should have agreed to end the 10 day long fast. But Anna showed no signs of relent. He wanted the three points of disagreement to be discussed and debated in parliament and a resolution to be passed in favour of a strong Lokpal Bill. Finally the government appears to have agreed on that too. Both the parties have come to a common midpoint, and thus have both been victorious. It’s truly a Win – Win Situation.

It certainly paves way for a stronger bill. I am in complete agreement with all the three points. The strongest being the inclusion of Lokayukts in States and Citizen Charter. The Lokpal bill would certainly have been a meaningless exercise without these two points.

This protest is perhaps only the beginning of many such struggles if we really want to cleanse up the system.

Three Cheers for the relentless efforts of Anna, Kiran Bedi, Prashant Bhushan, Kejariwal, Medha Patkar, Justice Hegde and many more team members and of course the thousands and thousands of people across the country and of course all the members of parliament.

Jan Lok Pal Bill - A common Man's Perceptive

I have heard Nilkeni's interview on IBN. How ironical ? His colleague - NKN has totally divergent view about the govt. and its functioning.

Nilkeni's ideas are good but they will take 5 more decades to implement, given the political will available today and for will be generated in decades to come. And that is not people and the youth of today do not want. They are used to quick solutions now, like the quick money, quick food, quick entertainment etc. So in this case what they want is not rhetoric any more, but a quick positive step. They all know it is going to be an uphill task but they want a beginning.

 

It is 4 / 5 decades now since the Lokpal was first tabled in parliament. Nothing had been done as yet. The current bill is a carbon copy of the previous one. Just that. They do not want the bill to have any teeth. And mind you it’s not the congress alone; none of the parties want a stronger bill against corruption. The answer to the " WHY " part is very simple. Who will save them then ? The generation of today is highly aware and conscious about their hard paid tax money. So they are frustrated and have lost faith in the politicians of the day. They had reached the Tipping Point and were looking for someone to kindle their anger and frustrations. They saw the hope in Anna's Movement and so the spontaneous support from all corners of the country. Not for nothing many luminaries and well educated people have joined the movement. And why not ? Who is not affected by this monster called " Corruption " ?

 

And see the arrogance of the government and their mental corruption because of their ill placed misconception of their absolute power. They pick the team and put them in Tihar Jail under an alibi of threat to the civic society and then without batting an eyelid, shamelessly withdraw the case and leave them free. Is it not a classic case of " Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely " ?? One day they involve them in the joint draft committee and on another day they do not hesitate to call the team as highly corrupt bunch from top to bottom.

 

They ( the politicians ) do not hesitate to tell the people of the country that the police did what it felt was right on august 16 th and later our Yuvraj Rahul meets PM and they decide to release him. They want to shamelessly project Yuvraj as a highly humanitarian person and take credit for the release. If Police was the authority who took the call of arrest then how come the politicians could take the call of release ? How could they perceive the threat perception differently ?? Is it not hypocrisy ??

 

The politicians also argue that parliament is supreme, and only they have the powers and authority to make a law and that civic society does not have a right. Agreed, but little do they all realize that:

 

• They are mere representatives of the people, by the people and for the people. They are in fact only care takers of our interests. They are elected only for 5 years, before seeking peoples’ votes again, where as if at all there is no change, it is in the people. So who is supreme they or the people?

• They are now a days getting elected by getting about 20 odd % of the votes, out of 50 odd % votes polled. So how can they claim to be representing majority of the society?

• When they feel, and they feel quite often, they seek advice from National Advisory Committee, whose members are not elected members, then why not take opinion of the civic society.

• Every year, they seek opinion of various sections of society, industrialist before the Financial Budget. Why do so if the voice the people is not to be heard?

 

The simple point is “Why not engage more experts from the civic society”. Let them all discuss it thread bare with the Anna Team, including the standing committee, the politicians from all the parties and discuss pros & cons of all the issues and then table it in the parliament. We will then reach a consensus and passing of the bill will not be an issue then. The problem is that the ruling party is on a high ego trip. So unless that is gotten over, the probabilities of getting an amicable solution and resolving the deadlock appear to be very dim.

 

 

 

 

 

Anna's Andhi - 2 nd wave

This time around the Anna Andhi has swept the country through the length and breadth of our boundaries. Even the NRIs residing in different part of the world have joined the struggle. I am very pleased to see the solidarity shown by the Nobel Prize Winner – Su Ki. What is most pleasing to the eyes is the peace maintained both by the swarm of people and also the administration. This shows that if both the parties show restraint, the views and point of views can still be sent across. I strongly feel that Anna and his team, well supported by Shri Shri Ravi Shankar and Baba Ramdev need to be complimented, and so the Police and administration of all the places. I have a gut feeling that this movement will go down in the history as one of the most peaceful agitations against the establishment. I will not be surprised if Anna gets a Nobel for peace in times to come.

More on it and our " 64th Independence year " later !!