The battle has been won but the WAR is not over
Even as we feel proud & happy today for Anna, please remember:
Just as India’s win over Pakistan in the World Cup did not magically solve the Kashmir issue, LokPal bill is not going to magically make India a well-governed country.
Real Change will ONLY come when we are able to change the Paradigm of Popular Politics. The battle has been won but the WAR is not over.
Below, slides from a recent talk I delivered at Sri Sri’s Ashram in Bengaluru.
India, 2011
View more presentations from B Shantanu
Jai Hind, Jai Bharat!
Related Posts: Worrying about Anna..and some counter-intuitive stuff… and Supporting Anna…
Well said that the war is not over. We need to take come up together again to disciver real India.
Incredible! I am doing my bit as well. Pls have a look: http://aseekersdiary.blogspot.com/
Regards,
A Seeker
I salute Mr.Anna as crusader against corruption in India however I feel Lokpal Bill or Law may not chech the core issue of corruption as Law makers are the only Law breakers as in past we has many commissions / SIT or other bodies those conducted only inquiry & wwasted tax payers money non had any punishment.
I feel there should stringent law for running for any election & no corrupt or criminal be allowed to run for election & there shopuld be capital punishment for person & all assets of concerned persons relatieves may be attached to GOI treasury
Well it’s a beginning and a good one. Well begun is half done, though the real task is behind. The chance of success is good mainly because the Lokpal will have authority to punish the culprits and crooks right away. This threat will discourage a lot of crooks. The real professional crooks who will not be afraid will remain in minority. This will have lesser influence on the common masses and their day to day affairs.
This is perfect. But the political maturity is rejected in India, always. So people like sensations, not deep roots and deep solutions.
The war has not even begun. This is a cosmetic and essentially irrelevant “reform” at this primitive stage of governance systems in India.
The war would need to reform a host of areas:
a) electoral
b) bureaucratic
c) economic and social policy
among many, many others.
If the package of reforms is 100, then LP bill is not even 0.5 out of 100.
It is basically pointless and will have NO effect on the life of the common man in India.
S
“By legitimising the inclusion of ‘civil society’ representatives, that too with dubious credentials, in a task that is designated as the executive’s responsibility, and by seeking to curtail the authority of the legislature, a grievous blow has been dealt to parliamentary democracy.
More importantly, if there were any doubts about the legitimacy of the NAC which considers itself beyond scrutiny and above accountability, those have been removed. Law-making can now become the NAC’s job, the Government can take a back seat, and Parliament can twiddle its thumbs. It would be facetious to suggest that people are indifferent to the rising level of corruption. On the contrary, people are angry, very angry. But this sense of anger is better directed at how we, the people, are to blame for the present state of affairs. But for us, A Raja and his ilk would not be elected to office. But for our reluctance to go out and vote, undeserving candidates would not win elections. But for our willingness to grease palms, we would not have all-pervasive corruption. We believe that the law may be the same for all, but privileges are not. Nepotism and cronyism are built into the DNA of our society. Why else would ‘civil society’ be represented by father and son?
http://www.dailypioneer.com/330466/Weak-Government-subverted-state.html
We are all aware of recent uprisings in the Middle Eastern countries. If you have followed the news closely, they began with a case of corrupt cops in Tunisia. Cops in the Middle East, in general, are corrupt. In Tunisia, cops came to a fruit vendor and asked him to give his basket of fruit to them for him to be able to sell his fruits in the market. Of course, they were not paying him for the fruit basket. Not only that, they wanted him to load the basket of fruit in their car. That made the fruit vendor and his friends quite mad and that was the spark that started the revolution against the corrupt governments in the Middle East and has now spread all over. Of course, they have a twofold struggle in the Middle East; against corruption and for democracy.
In India, we have a democracy so that is not the issue. But we need massive demonstrations against corruption of the magnitude that will shake the corrupt governments officials in India. We need an anti-corruption revolution to transform the way it works and governs.
Will that happen ? I am not sure. The corruption is so deep-rooted and so massive that a large portion of the population is either engaged in the activity or is using corruption to benefit from it, that is, if you pay, you get your things done quickly. The rest of the population is so used to corruption, that they are not bothered. They consider that to be the cost of doing business. Of course, a good portion of the population is illiterate and that does not help. Thus, only a small portion of the population is boiling mad about it. That is precisely the problem.
When will the masses of India be boiling mad about corruption and would want to root it out ?
Indeed! Nothing is achieved or won.. Just passing this will not do anything.. We are creating another opportunity and a window for looting in a different way through another Govt/independent body, who sit in Lokpal.. We have witnessed thoroughly corrupted CBI, PAC, CVC and now LokPal?? Finally it’s all in our hands .. This should not be a fight to pass the LokPal bill. As responsible citizens, we hold the equal onus on how we take care it and how we implement it in.. We should be responsible and accountable, for the bribe we do, for the votes we cast in return to freebies, for the leader we chose, for the chance we give them to loot, for the punishment we give them when they betray… Everytime we should equally participate… It’s not like, we fought so the bill is passed and we are done with our duty and keep mum, until something starts stinking badly again in future… I see many ppl, just orating and blaming at corruption, but never be responsible on their part of role. Not always just fighting for rights, we should be dutiful as well!! Had we been careful earlier, this SHITuation wouldn’t have been attained…
“The writer is convinced that Anna Hazare was the single stone useful instrument with a colossal ego, chosen for his Gandhi cap, to bring down two mangoes – one, push the Prime Minister into a corner and send him the unmistakable signal not to think or act independently of the imported Congress President; two, resurrect the defunct NAC by pushing some member NGOs and activists to center-stage by staging this dangerous blackmail melodrama. Needless to say, both mangoes were intended for Sonia Gandhi’s consumption. “
This what Radha Rajan says on het Blog. The complete article is here-
http://www.vigilonline.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1511&Itemid=1
She is greatly skeptical of this “drama”. The article referred to above makes interesting reading. At the very least, it eschews the simplistic interpretations.
Another quote –
“There is no doubt in the writer’s mind whatever that forces outside the country instigated these NGOs and social activists, Sonia loyalists all and the English print and electronic media to select a Gandhi cap to stage a drama whose purpose is ostensibly to pass the Lokpal Bill. “</b?
Anna Hazare is a symbol of “crusade against corruption” but those who are used to eat, drink and breathe only through the corruption conduit as their life line and their agents for corruption, will certainly now adopt every kind of insinuation path, to attack Anna Hazare and will leave no stone unturned to derail his movement against corruption.
Reading Sandeep…
“It’s not just Baba Ramdev. Everybody has been had. The BJP, RSS, ABVP…everybody…
But the biggest suckers of all have been you and me: the professionally-educated, aspiring, upwardly mobile, globally-travelled, entrepreneurial and risk-taking Middle Class. Within a generation, the Congress party has succeeded in capturing what’s called the mindshare (sic) of the Indian urban youth in the 18-30 age range. While the 90s belonged to the BJP, which cornered the previous generation by tapping into their religious and cultural sensibilities, the 2000s Congress party is succeeding in doing the same with the next generation by making pop activism a fashion statement. As a result, we have a large mass of youth that thinks that watching TV debates starring chic anchors and sending SMSes to these channels somehow means participating in democracy.
…
Anyway, the circus has pretty much ended and the tents have been packed. The middle class has again deluded itself…it’s still not time for the middle class to realize the brutal truth that candle-kissing and assembling in parks doesn’t hurt the middle class and that lasting change is not achieved without cuts and bruises and broken bones.
For now, the middle class can go back to watching the IPL.
India need a “Second Independence movement”.
||namO Bhaartam, namO Sanskritam||
I am very skeptical about the people representing the Lokpal Committee. Specially the father son duo – Shanti Bhushan and Prashant Bhushan. I had seen Prashant Bhushan vehemently accusing Delhi police of biasness in Batla house encounter case on NDTV. He was howling that it weren’t the terrorists who were killed by Delhi Police but “innocent” muslims. To me, this man is a traitor. Do we want such people to be the commanding members of the Lokpal Committee? I can never support the so called civil society which boasts of members such as Mallika Sarabhai who questioned Anna Hazare on his stand of supporting Narendra Modi’s contribution to development of Gujrat. We don’t want people in this movement who just have a pathological hatred of everything associated with Mr. Modi and BJP. Mr. Hazare should distance himself with the likes of Bhushans and Sarabhais.
Dear Shantanu,
Ashish is right there is something fishy about the whole thing. Let me explain to my level of understanding, and I hope the likes of Radha Rajan of vigil and Ashish take me upon that!
The BJP starts a campaign against corruption, 2G,CWG,ADHARSH, and they disrupt Parliament for this legitimate cause as to the deep roote dcorruption in the current Parliament session. The whole media including “Our Crusding ARNAB” screams hoarse by stating the they have disrupted the functioning of the Parliament and wasted Rs.36 Crores of Tax Payers money! Rs. 36 crores against Rs. 1.76 Lakh Crores!! Jokes apart, coming back to the question, nobody came on the streets, no wastage of Wax (Candle Night Vigils), no spending on Pandals, Water, Tents, Beds, Pillows, Shamaianas tec.tec.
All of a sudden ANNA comes on the sceen, MEDIA ALLOUT, Discussions galore.
Act I Scene I.
Media plays to the gallery. The middle Class is overwhelmed by the media glare.
Scene II. Politicians stage an act of defiance of “What do you think yourselves to be”. But who is supporting the ideals of ANNA the NAC chaired by a very senior politician “AND THIS IS POINTED OUT” as a shining example of how people want to deal with corruption!!
Scene III; All bonhomie as the NAC is also a part of ANNA’s thoughts. The Government “CAPITULATES to discuss the Lok Pal Bill.
Actors who form the core team, Mallika Sarabhai, Swami Agnivesh, and Kiran Bedi (A Square Peg in a Round Hole), in this case. I think she was led up the Garden Path by the other team members.The first two Anti BJP because Modi belongs to the party.
Scene IV; The core team members are upset that “Development is being discussed when the issue is “corruption” so ANNA is made to tie himself in knots.!
Act II Scene I: All bonhomie and meeting starts. Back slapping that the BJP has been upstaged.
Scene II: To make it still appear very mauch a true story. Bhushans are questioned by a close friend of the people who want the Lok Pal bill according to their terms.
Scene II. Apparent anger. Cases are filed. Discussions are galore in the media. ANNA is still with the Bhushans.
Now the doubt arises. A fight against corruption and ANNA stands by the Bushans who are accused of corruption and bribery. Mallika and the Swami do not even whimper! No apology by ANNA!! Whereas on appreciating development both Mallika and the Swami raised a hue and cry and most IMPORTANT ANNA gave an Explanation!!! Why in the case of MODI and not in the case of BHUSHANS!!!
The whole thing has been stage managed to get the BJP to look weak against corruption.
It is not afight against corruption and for the Lok Pal Bill that the DRAMA took place but just to BLUNT the BJP’s fight against corruption.
Regards,
vck
Act II Scene 1. The
@Vck: I dont know how I missed your comment…but this is eerily similar to something that has been going on in my mind for the last few days…Watch out for a blog post on this early next week…
Thanks