Indian Holocaust My Father`s Life and Time - SIX HUNDRED Fifteen
Palash Biswas
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Anna speaks to media on 4th day of fast unto death
<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/9u1S7VjclOE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>People win anti-graft crusade, Hazare to end fast on Saturday
The announcement of an agreement came from both sides late in the night on the fourth day of Hazare's last-unto-death that triggered a nationwide support for his anti-corruption campaign.
"Government has accepted all our demands and I will end my fast tomorrow at 10:30AM. This is a victory for the entire nation," Hazare said.
Union minister Kapil Sibal, who led the government team of negotiators, welcomed Hazare's announcement and thanked him for it.
"This is a victory for democracy," he said adding it was for the government now to issue an appropriate order constituting the committee that will include representatives of civil society and government.
However, Hazare's emissaries Kiran Bedi and Swami Agnivesh made it clear that the protest fast will not be ended till the government issues the order.
The denouement came after his emissaries met ministers for a round of talks, third in two days and after some hiccups.
Finance minister Pranab Mukherjee will be the chairman of the committee that will also include law minister Veerappa Moily, telecom minister Sibal, home minister P Chidambaram and water resources minister Salman Khurshid as members.
Besides Hazare, those representing the civil society in the joint committee will be eminent lawyers Shanti Bhushan, Prasant Bhushan, retired Supreme Court Judge Santosh Hege and RTI activist Arvind Kejriwal. Shanti Bhushan will be the co-Chairman.
Sonia meets PM, discusses Lokpal Bill issue!As Jantar Mantar -- the Hyde Park of Delhi -- has now become the nerve centre of a movement against corruption with thousands of people from across the country flocking here to express solidarity with activist Anna Hazare . Attempts to break the impasse with anti-corruption crusaders failed again Friday with the government rejecting two of their major demands - having a former Supreme Court judge as head of a committee for drafting an anti-graft law and on notifying the constitution of the panel.As the standoff between Government and Anna Hazare continued on Lokpal Bill, Congress today blamed the "obstinate and intransigent" attitude of the social activist's supporters for the impasse despite the administration going the "extra mile" to address their concerns.
Meanwhile,Baba Ramdev has also come forward to support Anna in his crusade against corruption.Yog guru Baba Ramdev has come out in full support of Anna Hazare's agitation against corruption. Joining the protesters at Jantar Mantar, Baba Ramdev raised a battle cry for hanging the corrupt.Taking a dig at the government, Ramdev said if those running the government were clear and clean, they should not hesitate in framing a law that gave capital punishment to the corrupt.
Meanwhile, extending his support to noted social activist Anna Hazare's fight against corruption, Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan said he would always back issues that benefit the country and also called upon the media to commit themselves to the cause.
Government rejects Hazare's proposals on anti-graft bill!Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal said he had conveyed to Arvind Kejriwal and Swami Agnivesh, two civil society activists backing reformer Anna Hazare who has been on fast for the last four days, the government's disagreement over two of their important proposals. Government today talked tough on Anna Hazare's demand for an effective Lokpal Bill, saying it cannot accede to the demands of chairmanship of the joint drafting committee being given to a civil society member and for issuing an official notification.
Anna Hazare on Friday said that they have suggested co-chairpersons for the joint committee on drafting the Lokpall Bill!Hazare announces jail bharo on April 13 after govt rejects demands!
Kolkata Newspapers Published FULL Front Page IPL AD : AAZ SE BHARAT BANDH! Labour Trouble always has been assocaited with Bharat Bandh and DESPISED by Market Forces. Ironically, the Toilet Media now Campaigns for Bharat Bandh for IPL Marketing!The much-awaited Indian Premier League (IPL) season 4 inaugural ceremony kick starts with all its colours and hues at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Friday.However,Corruption and controversies have eroded the brand value one of India's fastest growing global brands, the Indian Premier League (IPL).With the euphoria of India's fairy tale World Cup win hanging heavy in the air, another cricketing carnival gets underway Friday night- the fourth edition of Indian Premier League (IPL).
On the other hand, Strategic Marketing of FREE Market Economy, Poltics and Governance led by Market Dominating Ruling Class CIVIL Society is Hyped so much so that the declared ENEMIES share the same BED! As baba Ramdev and the Marxists! Hindutva Forces and the Left on the same Platfarm!As Hazare's fast-unto-death on the Lokpal Bill issue enters the fourth day today, support for his movement is gaining momentum with people from all walks of life, including scientists, film stars and lawyers saying they have turned up here to send across a "bigger message". he civil society leaders had proposed a notification of the committee that will draft the Jan Lokpal Bill and appointing former chief justice of India J.S. Verma or former Supreme Court judge Justice Santosh Hegde as chairman of the panel.
Amidst Another Gandhi in Making,Corruption hit IPL, brand value falls to $3.67 billion!AAZ SE BHARAT BANDH! Ramdev Baba and his Hindutva Wagon Supported by CPIM as well as CPIML Joins ANNA HAZAARE to Bail Out MANUSMRITI Brahaminical Hegemony! Against the backdrop of an anti-graft campaign spearheaded by Anna Hazare , Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee today admitted that corruption has hit the poor and favoured steps to effectively tackle this menace. A meeting of HRD Minister Kapil Sibal with activists Swami Agnivesh and Arvind Kejriwal scheduled this morning did not take place with both sides saying they were waiting for each other. The meeting is now scheduled at 6 PM.
Addressing a huge gathering of the thousands who have joined the movement started by Hazare, Baba Ramdev said, "Anna Hazare is an honest man of strong character, who has launched a massive movement to curb corruption in the country and I am with him firmly. I want to thank all the youngsters, the school children, who have come to support this movement."
Taking on the government, Ramdev said, "The mass movement started by Hazare has evoked huge support from every walks of life but this government is not listening. This man (Hazare) has been fasting for the past three-four days but the government is not willing to change its stance on the Lokpal Bill. Let me tell those sitting in power that we will all fight this battle till our last breath. I will fight against corruption till my last breath."
Warning the Centre, he said, "I want to tell the government that all ministers who would be named in the joint committee have to be honest. If a single minister is found involved in any kind of corruption, he shall not be acceptable to us and to the people of India."
Congress President Sonia Gandhi met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and discussed the stalemate on the issue of an effective Lokpal Bill for which Gandhian Anna Hazare has launched a campaign.
Ministers Pranab Mukherjee and Kapil Sibal, political secretary to Congress president Ahmed Patel and principal secretary to the Prime Minister TKA Nair were also present at the meeting, party sources said.
After the meeting finance minister Pranab Mukherjee appealed to Anna Hazare to end the fast and join the joint panel to draft the Lokpal Bill.
The meeting comes a day after Gandhi appealed to Hazare to end his fast, which entered the fourth day on Friday, assuring him that his views would receive the government's full attention.
Stepping up his anti-corruption campaign, Hazare had on Thursday brushed aside Gandhi's appeal to him to withdraw his hunger strike as the government initiated talks on formation of a joint committee to draft an effective Lokpal Bill but there was no consensus on two crucial aspects.
A meeting of Sibal with activists Swami Agnivesh and Arvind Kejriwal scheduled this morning did not take place as both sides said they were waiting for each other.
The meeting has now been scheduled for 6pm.
Addressing a huge crowd of supporters and the media in Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, Hazare said that the government has agreed to introduce the Bill in the Monsoon session of Parliament. "The people's voice has reached the government and they can't ignore them," Hazare said.
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Emissaries report progress in talks, Hazare decision soon
Indicating progress in talks with the government on the proposed formation of a committee for drafting the Lokpak Bill, the emissaries of Anna Hazare on Friday said he will soon announce his decision which people would be "happy to hear".
"There is some progress in talks with government. Message is to be conveyed to Hazare," activist Arvind Kejriwal, who is one of the three emissaries, said after a meeting with Union HRD Minister Kapil Sibal, Law Minister Veerappa Moily and Minority Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid.
Another emissary Swami Agnivesh said the government had sent a draft on Friday afternoon, following which Mr. Hazare sent his draft.
"We replied to it and spoke to the three ministers about it," he said.
"The government has given a draft on which Hazare will give a decision. You will be happy to hear his decision," he said.
"We have rejected the government proposal for constituting the committee through a letter by the law ministry," the veteran activist said.
72-year-old Hazare, who has been on fast for the last four days now, said he is getting energy from all his supporters.
The government has rejected the demand of Anna Hazare to issue an official notification to constitute the draft committee for Lokpal Bill and also rejected the proposal for an outsider to lead the new committee of government and civil society.
The protesters announced that Kapil Sibal had conveyed about this decision to them and has also said that Pranab Mukherjee will head the committee.
Reacting to the government's stand, Anna Hazare announced country-wide Jail Bharo agiation on April 12.
However, later the date was changed to April 13 as organisers realised April 12 was a Ramnavami holiday and the agitation would inconvenience people.
Opposition BJP sees an opportunity in social activist Anna Hazare's campaign against corruption and has been quick to join the issue and support Hazare.
"I shall always be supportive of any issue which benefits the nation. I do not have to preach and shout out my allegiance towards my country from the roof top every day. My loyalty is not up for questioning and is not most certainly in a realm where it can be doubted," Bachchan wrote on his blog on Friday.
Replying to a girl named Pooja from his blog, Bachchan, who seemed to be hurt by her comments further said, "It is painful to know that without having complete knowledge of the matter from my end, she could assume factors which are not existent. To state that I am busy and interested in earning my money only and not concerned with matters of social interest, is completely unacceptable and unfair."
"How many electronic (channels) have committed themselves to the cause," he asked.
"Merely doing hourly reportages of it for their commercial existence and putting questions to be answered by others is a neat duck from putting their own foot into it. It would impress me greatly if a 'stringer' sent on a mission to report the news were to drop the microphone, desist from reporting and join in with the fast - something that they keep asking us to do," the 68-year-old actor said.
"Whatever work or programmes benefit the nation...are in the best of our country's interest. I appreciate and support it. Neither do we go around claiming credit for it nor do we know how to do it," he concluded.
India Inc also extended support to Anna Hazare in his fight against corruption, stating it is "sick" of the menace.
"We support any such movement by anybody, including Ramdev and Anna Hazare, to reduce corruption soon... We are sick of corruption," leading industrialist and Bajaj Auto Chairman Rahul Bajaj said.
Adi Godrej, the Chairman of the Godrej Group, also extended support to Hazare, who has been sitting on a fast-unto-death since Tuesday to press for an effective Lokpal Bill to deal with corruption in high places.
"Industry cannot go on streets. Yes, corporate India does support his cause. We are with him," said Godrej.
Pointing out that corruption cannot disappear from India immediately, Bajaj lauded the efforts of Hazare, saying "something has to be done" about it.
Expressing similar views, the Director General of industry chamber Ficci, Rajiv Kumar, said, "We completely support Hazare in his fight against corruption, which has been denting India."
Ficci, Kumar added, favours setting up of ombudsman-type institutions to deal with issues of corruption and governance.
Kapil Sibal said he conveyed to the Anna Hazare's representatives that it was "not possible for the government to issue an official notification" with respect to constitution of the committee.
"But we are willing to issue an official letter from a department of the government, may be the law ministry, to constitute the committee and of course, a press note," he said.
The minister also conveyed to the movement's members that it was "not possible for us to accept the chairmanship of a member of the civil society over this joint drafting committee".
But all other conditions and points raised by Anna Hazare on the formation of the committee was acceptable to the government, Kapil Sibal added.
"It is not sufficient to have good intentions and good policies. They have to be implemented and acted upon. That requires collective efforts," Brahamin Pranab Mukherjee said while addressing the CII National Conference .
The minister pointed out that "governance failures and corruption in the system" had hit the poor the most and added, "an inclusive development agenda cannot succeed without addressing these issues".
"It is evident that the fruits of growing prosperity are not being enjoyed equally by all our citizens. There are gaps in our development efforts and in our governance practices, ...across sectors and in different regions and segments of the country," Mukherjee said.
According to the finance minister, the country's economic development should be more holistic to bring about sustained improvement in living standards across masses, including access to affordable healthcare and social security, among other things.
"It is equally important that the available public resources are effectively used. We are acutely conscious that if these resources have to bear fruit, we will have to tackle issues of governance and service delivery," he added.
The government has formed a ministerial panel on corruption, headed by Mukherjee, which is deliberating inclusion of various features in Lokpal bill to tackle corruption.
Mukherjee said every Indian nurses the belief of a better future and added, "The possibility of realising the promise of our destiny as a developed nation is, perhaps for the first time in our modern history, well within our reach".
Since 2003-04, India is registering high economic growth, which is likely at over 9 per cent in 2011-12.
Talking about various initiatives like right to information, work and education taken by the government, the minister said the government was working on the draft Food Security Bill for guaranteeing the right to food.
He also called upon the industry and corporates to play more active role in development of the country.
Sibal said only government officials will be members of the joint drafting committee on Lokpal Bill and that no minister will be part of it.
"There is no possibility of an official notification on the constitution of the joint committee but we have told them that we are willing to give an official letter through the law ministry and a press note," he said.
Sibal said he was waiting along with his ministerial colleague Salman Khurshid for Gandhian Hazare's supporters - Arvind Kejriwal and Swami Agnivesh - this morning but as they did not turn up, he called them on phone.
When Agnivesh asked him about the position of the government on the notification issue, Sibal said, "I told him our position remains the same.
"It is not possible for the government to issue a notification with respect to constitution of a joint committee. However, we are willing to issue an official letter through a department of the government, may be the law ministry and, of course, through a press note," he said.
Sibal said it was not possible for the government to accept that the chairman of the joint committee should be a member from the civil society.
"All other conditions and all other points are acceptable to us," the minister said.
"If you insist that a nominee of your side is a chairman of the joint committee, in that event the constitution of the committee will not consist of ministers from our end but it will consist of officials of government of India in which eventuality you can have your nominee as chairman of the joint committee," he said.
With Hazare's hunger strike into its third day now, top BJP leaders including party chief Nitin Gadkari and Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi have spoken out in favour of Hazare and his demands on the Lokpal Bill.
As Hazare has tried keeping the campaign apolitical, and even disallowed political leaders like O P Chautala and Uma Bharati to join him on Wednesday, BJP has come out in his support with the hope that it will strengthen its own campaign against the UPA government on corruption issues.
Speaking in Chennai on Thursday, Gadkari described Hazare's demand for a strong Lokpal Bill as "reasonably correct" and expressed "sympathy" for the fasting campaigner. "His fast-unto-death is a reaction to the strong sentiment against corruption. The UPA has to understand the unrest against corruption in the country," Gadkari said while campaigning in the state. "Our sympathy is there (with him). It is time we need a Lokpal and Lokayukta," Gadkari said.
Speaking at an election rally in Assam, Modi claimed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's statement on Hazare's fast had created an "emergency like situation". "Hazare's fast against corruption is being supported by people from all sections of society but the prime minister refuses to accept the issue and is making irresponsible statements creating an emergency-like situation," he said.
Singh's statement that the social activist was fasting under the influence of some persons and vested interests "was not only insulting to Hazare but also to the nation as a whole", Modi said. The situation is similar to that in 1975 when Jayaprakash Narayan had launched a fast against the then Indira Gandhi government's "high handed and corrupt practices", he added.
An angry Hazare said that the people will teach the government a lesson by joinging the jail bharo agitation against the government.
Meanwhile, Anna Hazare, whose fast entered the fourth day on Friday, has said that he will not become the chairman of the proposed draft committee for the Lokpal Bill.
Addressing the thousands at the protest site, Anna Hazare said that he would only assist the committee in advisory capacity.
The fasting leaders announced that Anna Hazare will write a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh forwarding the names of Santosh Hegde and Justice JS Verma to lead the proposed draft committee.
The government has already rejected these names.
Hazare called for immediate decentralisation of power at the centre to ensure that there is end to corruption in governance.
Stating that Mahatma Gandhi stressed on decentralisation of power, he said his fast for Lokpal Bill was like the second fight for Independence. He said, Lokpal Bill will lead to decentralisation of power.
Hazare said Right to Information Act is an example for all to see. The RTI has led to devolution of power.
Taking a dig at the present set up, Hazare said all the agencies to tackle corruption at present are under the government and hence there has never been any positive outcome of any probe.
Hazare said we are demanding that all these agencies should come under the purview of Lokpal. This will ensure that all the corrupt will land in jail, he said.
Earlier, Congress blamed the "obstinate and intransigent" attitude of the social activist's supporters for the impasse despite the administration going the "extra mile" to address their concerns.
"The ball is in their court....We have agreed with every substantial demand...Absolutely no substantial or real issues remains to be resolved...Are not some of the members of the civil society being obstinate and intransigent?," party spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi had told reporters.
Singhvi, a senior advocate, made a spirited defence of the government, telling the supporters of Hazare that "we cannot lose sense of balance. We are a government by constitution. Jingoistic and populist slogans cannot take place of substance."
Meanwhile,Actor Aamir Khan says the country should extend greater support to Anna Hazare's struggle for a strong anti-corruption law than it did to the Indian cricket team's quest for the World Cup. In a letter to the social activist, who is on fast unto death demanding that the government co-opt the civil society in drafting the Lokpal Bill, the actor said the struggle against corruption was "infinitely more important, and affects each and every one of us".
Hrithik Roshan is the latest Bollywood personality to come out in support of noted social activist Anna Hazare, who is on a fast-unto-death in New Delhi demanding stringent anti-corruption law.
"I support Anna Hazare. It's TIME to make a CHANGE," Hrithik, who is shooting for 'Agnipath' here, said on Thursday.
On Wednesday, superstar Aamir Khan had written a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, requesting him to consider Hazare's demand.
Filmmakers Shekhar Kapur and Madhur Bhandarkar, and veteran actor Anupam Kher have also backed the 72-year-old activist's anti-corruption campaign.
In the letter sent on April 6, the actor called Hazare an inspiration for the youth of India and said that he had written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh asking him to pay heed to Hazare's appeal.
In his letter to the Prime Minister, Khan said: "I would like to humbly submit to you that, based on all the material that I have read, what Mr Hazare is saying makes a lot of sense to me."
"I am one of over a billion citizens of this country who is affected by, and most concerned about, corruption in our country. The last few months have witnessed some shocking exposés. In fact our society has been plagued by this sickness over the last few decades. I am one of the many who feel that strong steps need to be taken as corrective measures," the actor wrote to the Prime Minister.
He further wrote: "It is therefore with great hope and all humility that I request you to pay heed to the voice of Mr Anna Hazare. I would like to submit to you that the nation is slowly but surely collecting behind Mr Hazare in appreciation for what he is fighting for. I am merely one of many who support Mr Hazare and have come to appreciate that this upright 72-year-old man is willing to sacrifice his life in the fight against corruption."
Text of Aamir Khan's letter to Anna Hazare
Mumbai,
6th April, 2011.
Dear Mr. Hazare,
Over the last few days I have been following, through the media coverage, news about your struggle against corruption and the fast that you have undertaken.
I have been through your appeal.
I have been through the draft provided by the media of the government proposed Lokpal bill, which is under consideration of the government, which you are opposing.
Through the internet, I have also been through the draft of the Jan Lokpal Bill as drafted by the members of the Civil Society, which you are supporting.
I would like you to know that I am amongst thousands who are fully supportive of your efforts. The crusade that you have begun is an extremely important one, and I would like to extend my support to you.
For your information, I have written to our Hon'ble Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh requesting him to pay heed to your appeal. I am attaching my letter to him for you to read.
You are an inspiration for the youth of this country and my prayers are with you.
Like the country has supported the Indian Cricket team in their struggle to win the World Cup, I hope and pray that your struggle, which is infinitely more important, and affects each and every one of us, will get an even greater support.
Jai Hind.
Yours sincerely,
Aamir Khan
Bollywood star Anupam Kher, who is supporting Anna Hazare's fast on Lokpal Bill, has appealed to master blaster Sachin Tendulkar, Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan to support the movement against corruption.
Addressing the gathering of protesters in Delhi, Anupam Kher said that the three icons have a huge fan following in the country and their support will help Hazare's fight against corruption.
Heaping praise on Anna Hazare, Anupam Kher said that after Mahatma Gandhi he was the only person in the country who could say with pride 'my life is my message'.
Anupam Kher reacted strongly to government's rejection of two key demands put up by protesters and expressed surprise as to how the government could turn a blind eye to a movement that was gaining in strength with every passing day.
He compared the government with the villain in Bollywood movies, who, high on power, refused to see the reality on ground.
He said the politicians were behaving like ostriches trying to bury their heads into the sand. But such is the force of this movement that these politicians will be forced to face the reality.
The Bollywood veteran also had a word of caution for the media. Referring to reports of division in the ranks of protesters, Anupam Kher said that journalists should report about the movement with responsibility.
For the majority of the people, the movement is not just about drafting of an "effective" Lokpal Bill, but it is about cautioning the government against "ever increasing corruption" and scams as a result of which India's imgae has taken a "serious beating".
"This movement is against corruption. It is a movement to cleanse India's image as a graft-ridden country" said Gurpreet Singh, a 45-year-old social activist from Chandigarh who has come here to participate in the protest.
Echoing similar views, Ram Dulari Yadav of National Blind Youth Association said although Hazare has started his agitation for a joint committee of civil society members and government representatives to draft a strong anti-graft bill, the movement has a bigger meaning for the country.
"This is a country-wide movement against corruption. It has a larger message and it will continue," Yadav, who has come here along with 25 other blind people from the city, said, expressing solidarity to the movement led by Hazare.
Another group of 50 blind people under the banner of Indian Joint Organisation of Blind are also participating in the protest to "fight corruption"
"Corruption is becoming synonymous with our way of life. The irony is that all our leaders have accepted corruption as very normal. It pains me as an Indian, it pains me as a follower of Gandhiji," said 72-year-old septuagenarian Radha Vinod Gupta of Rohini area of the city.
Gupta, who was a Delhi Government employee, said he has decided to come to the protest "listening to his inner voice."
"There has been an anger inside me against what is happening in the country. This is very disturbing. We have started to acknowledge that corruption is part of the system," Gupta, who came with his wife, said.
For Abhijit Sarkar, a 21-year-old Delhi University student, Jantar Mantar has become India's Tahrir Square where a "mega movement is taking its shape".
"I have been coming here for last three days. We are really proud of being part of this great movement," he said, holding a placard that said "We are not corrupt. Follow us."
"The ball is in their court....We have agreed with every substantial demand...Absolutely no substantial or real issues remains to be resolved...Are not some of the members of the civil society being obstinate and intransigent?," party spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi told reporters.
Singhvi, a senior advocate, made a spirited defence of the government, telling the supporters of Hazare that "we cannot lose sense of balance. We are a government by constitution. Jingoistic and populist slogans cannot take place of substance."
Putting the onus on Hazare's associates for his health condition, Singhvi suggested that the impasse arose due to demands by the supporters of Hazare that the Chairman of the Joint Committee for drafting the Lokpal bill should be from civil society and that government should notify the committee.
"Is it possible for an extremely senior minister to sit on a committee under someone else's chairmanship or headed by any member from civil society. Will the society members pilot the bill in Parliament?
"We must realize that we are part of a constitutional governance, where the responsibility for any legislations lays squarely on the government and the Council of Ministers," Singhvi said, accusing Hazare's supporters of delaying the process of setting up the committee on "procedural matters". Singhvi however did not name anyone.
The AICC's sharp criticism of Hazare's supporters came close on the heels of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi holding consultations after the Gandhian threatened a Jail Bharo from April 13.
Replying to questions, Singhvi said that the government has literally walked the "extra mile" to resolve the issue and the government's acceptance of the demand for the joint committee should not be construed as a precedent or principle.
"We have utmost deference and respect for Hazare. We have tried to engage with him at every stage...despite no precedent we still agreed to a joint drafting committee. We also agreeed to have their five members and five members from the government in the committee.
We also agreed to introduce the bill in the Monsoon session. We also agreed that the joint committee will be activated before May 13. We are with the civil society in the crusade against corruption. What else remains. All points of substance met," Singhvi said.
Jantar Mantar: The epicentre of India's crusades
It is a place where for years people from across the country have been coming to voice their concerns and demands - a place of peaceful protest near the seat of power. And now the Jantar Mantar in the heart of the capital has become the epicentre of what can be called one of India's biggest mass movements against corruption, led by 72-year-old crusader Anna Hazare.
Often compared to London's Hyde Park, the site adjoining Jantar Mantar - the 18th century observatory - is perpetually filled with groups of people, all sitting there under pitched tents and peacefully protesting for varied causes.
Holding placards, distributing pamphlets and shouting slogans - at times also marching on Parliament Street - the demonstrators sit there from dawn to dusk. The small kiosks and tea shops close by have no dearth of customers.
Before Jantar Mantar, in the early 1990s, the Boat Club lawns along Rajpath was the place of protest before it was made out-of-bounds.
According to official statistics, Jantar Mantar saw over 1.5 lakh people taking part in demonstrations and over 12,000 detentions for breach of law in the first eight months of 2010. Further, from January 2006 to August 2010, at least 13,118 dharnas and as many as 5,491 demonstrations, rallies and processions were held at the site.
After the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai, the city's residents gathered in large numbers at Jantar Mantar and gave vent to their emotions through marches and candle light vigils. The site has also seen sit-ins by Bhopal gas tragedy victims and gay rights crusaders among others.
On April 5 this year, Anna Hazare began his fast-unto-death against corruption at Jantar Mantar, kicking off a mass movement - one of the biggest in recent history.
Anna Hazare is demanding that 50 percent of the committee that drafts the anti-graft law should comprise prominent civil society representatives and stringent punishment for graft offenders.
Jantar Mantar has been flooded with hundreds of people ever since his fast began, attracting support from all quarters of society and from across the country and abroad.
Like Anna Hazare, a number of protesters and even media persons have made the site their home with tables used as platforms to stand or sit on and raise slogans of 'Vande mataram' and 'Inquilab zindabad'.
According to the activists, at night Anna Hazare - who is surviving just on plain water - rests behind a wide white curtain on the left corner of the protest dais and three table fans are there to keep him cool.
Hundreds of other protestors who are also undertaking the fast like their leader sleep on mattresses placed on green carpets under a white marquee.
So is Jantar Mantar India's Tahrir Square? Not all will agree, but "Come to Jantar Mantar" is certainly a message that's doing the rounds and fuelling passion among people.
Anti-corruption crusade: Battle hots up between reality of hafta and the 'experts'; Baba Ramdev joins protestors
April 08, 2011 07:21 PM |
Veeresh Malik
It is easy to be swayed by the candle lights at Jantar Mantar or the patronizing attitude of the media. But the reality is that a large number of people are coming out to be counted and spotted on television, because they are simply tired of being hit by corruption at every step they take
South Indian Snack Centre (SISC) was a little hole in the wall behind the Jantar Mantar bus stop, when political demonstrations were held at the Boat Club Lawns, off Rajpath, till Mahendra Singh Tikait's followers changed the rules of the game as far as political rallies in Delhi is concerned, forever, 23 years ago. Political rallies had always held the city to ranson, trashing the pristine lawns off Rajpath was par for the course, but there were bigger issues-long satyagrahas could endanger the planning for the Republic Day Parade, winter afternoon siestas on the lawns were sacred for many who hung around in the Bhavans in those days, and most of all the music played at these functions was off-key and disliked by the swish set.
This evolved into the famous episode when Deep Purple, as well as other rock music was played more loudly as a response to the motivational songs played by the BKU Chaudhary. All political and other rallies, as well as protests, were subsequently banished to the faraway, sylvan area between Jantar Mantar and Ashoka Road, a very quiet and cosy part of town, with the traffic organised in such a way that it simply did not disturb any route, except those buses parked nearby, waiting to pick up passengers from Connaught Place and Central Secretariat, in the pre-Metro days.
With Kerala House next to it, Bible Bhavan behind it, assorted Socialist party offices in front, SISC could not but do well. About the best value for money in terms of basic southie veggie, it is now the second most popular place visited at the Anna Hazare "India against Corruption" protest, though you may not notice it on television. Its roof is used by television crew and photographers for top angle shots, and the repertoire served has been enhanced to include paneer dosa and capsicum utthapam, to augment the basic idli-dosa-vada-upma fare.
At a modest estimate the hafta paid to a variety of 'authorities' to continue business for a small stall like this would run into lakhs of rupees a month, and it is as simple as that. We can say what we want a few metres away, but the day we can stop corruption even a few metres away from this spot, is when it really starts showing results on the ground. Even the ragpickers present, for whom this is a bonanza as they go about picking up everything on the ground that has been thrown away or discarded, have never had it so good-even they have to pay a little something to be allowed to wander around inside.
And that is the simple truth from Jantar Mantar, where it is currently very easy to get swayed by the two main players present-the upbeat middle-class energy being best motivated to walk around with candles that are eventually placed on the ground; and the patronizing as well as supercilious attitude of the media, who are the heroes in a reality show situation, where everybody else besides them, in any sort of power scenario, is a villain. That is, other than the old man fasting on a platform and his group, who also are being pushed into corners by smarter and less tired adversaries, who have the power of the State behind them. Every time Arvind Kejriwal tries to get some rest, he is called to answer another bunch of questions, and then participate in intense strategy sessions before and after.
On Friday, yog guru Baba Ramdev joined the campaign, with a demand to hang the corrupt. Addressing the protestors he challenged the government, saying that if those running the system were clean, they should not hesitate to give capital punishment to those who are corrupt. He said the government was indifferent to the issue of corruption as the rulers were not affected by it. He also challenged the government on the constitution of the committee to work on the Lokpal Bill, saying it must ensure that the five representatives from the government side must be absolutely taint-free or else they would not be accepted.
Yes, the issue is simple and drills down to a simple point-corruption. How the corruption will go away is not important, since the people believe that all existing tools are as good as useless, so anything else new would be better. So up comes the Lokpal Bill, now part of a trendy song, also. That this momentum is because people want a Lokpal Bill in a particular format is something easy to believe in, if all we do is sit and watch the talking heads go into gabfest mode on television. The reality on the ground is that a large number of people are coming out to be counted and spotted on television, because they are simply tired of being hit by corruption at every step they take, or a drive they make. Large corruption cases like the 2G scam, the CWG scam and other multi-thousand crore scams merge seamlessly into the smaller 5-and-10 rupee corruption scams going on everywhere. All will vanish thanks to the Lokpal Bill.
But if the Lokpal Bill is diluted so it does not work, then what?
That the politicians and public servants are easily identifiable and perceived reasons for this anti-people step is clear, if and when it happens. However, this will be taking a very simple view of the larger intelligence that the people on the ground possess, and this is where the electronic media has lost touch. Nobody is forgetting the Barkha Dutt and Vir Sanghvi episodes, for example. Incidentally, neither of these two worthies have come to Jantar Mantar as yet. As of now the television media is making the correct sounds as far as the crowds are concerned, by lending support to the movement. This, however, appears to be changing in ever so subtle ways, with the specialists and experts expressing views that are divergent from the popular sentiment.
On Day 4, the euphoria of possible "victory" may shift to stark realities, as Anna asks candle-holding marchers to start filling jails. And if this does not pan out the way it should, the villain in line will be the media. Especially the television media, whose 'experts' are being seen as pushing views that are divergent from what the people believe is the truth. This is the ground level observation in a movement that spans all sorts of ideologies from the Left to the Right and in between. Which makes it more dangerous, as this group will look for the next villain who killed their truths.
And their truth is simple. A vast number of laws have been used to push the public down, like the big pigs did on Animal Farm. Here is a chance for a single law for the masses, to try and equalize things against the big pigs in our society; but if this does not happen, the guilty will have to be found. And that, if you look carefully through the history of mass movements of this sort, often means the Fifth Estate.
Meanwhile, what is not lost on many in the crowd is that the price of energy is shooting up, the availability of water is going down, and the environment is getting increasingly polluted. It is therefore, also felt that a reduction in corruption could somehow ease things there, too. And if a Lokpal Bill is not introduced the way Anna Hazare wants it, then the politicians and their henchmen/women will, once again, be responsible for this. And that this was caused by the media, who are perceived and currently strutting around at Jantar Mantar, pretending to be the solution providers and opinion makers, rather than the mirrors.
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http://www.moneylife.in/article/anti-corruption-crusade-battle-hots-up-between-reality-of-hafta-and-the-experts-baba-ramdev-joins-protestors/15453.html
April 08, 2011
We share two crucial features with the citizens of the North African nations — disgust at the careless greed of oligarchies which rule our lives and impatience at being held hostage by a culture of corruption that democracy has failed to address. In fact, illicit funding of elections is one of its sources. So now, 'blackmail' is going to solve a problem that four decades of protest, media activism and legal action could not.
Of course, Hazare's fast amounts to blackmail, as his detractors have said. But in desperate times, when all other options have been exhausted, moral coercion becomes a valid political act. Now, even if the government keeps stonewalling, the movement has gathered the critical mass to keep going and force change.
But the quality of this change remains to be decided, by us. The Jan Lokpal Bill proposed by Hazare and his associates is far better than the government's Lokpal Bill, which is so dazzlingly toothless that you want to hand it some dentures. But it remains a work in progress and the concerned citizen's duty is to read it (at www.annahazare.org) and suggest improvements. This will be a landmark legislation, the first to be publicly debated and drafted by the people, not only their elected representatives. When it is tabled in Parliament, it must set a benchmark in perfection.
Personally, I am uneasy because the Bill jettisons the principle of separation of powers. In the office of the lokpal, it accumulates privileges accorded separately to the judiciary, the police and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The success of an ombudsman like the lokpal depends largely on the probity and humanity of the person in office. Years later, when the lokpal has grown used to power, I don't want to see some Judge Dredd on steroids becoming a factor in politics, like a super-CBI. The Bill provides for the removal of lokpals, but that's not deterrent enough. The threat of removal has not prevented corruption even in the higher judiciary. We need an arm of government — or many arms — which the lokpal watches over to watch it in turn, if only in an advisory capacity.
My second objection is against the movement, not the Bill. It ignores earlier campaigns for even more fundamental change. Politicians stonewall anti-graft law because they need cash to finance elections. And they are not caught because the police and investigative agencies are their handmaidens. Campaigns for reform in electoral funding and the police system have been stonewalled just like the Lokpal Bill. Hazare's current movement for probity in public life began with his campaign for the right to information, which opened a window on the working of government. Now, he wants greed to be punished. But to eradicate corruption altogether, the movement should absorb pre-existing campaigns which attack the root of the problem.
Pratik Kanjilal is publisher of The Little Magazine n pratik@littlemag.com .The views expressed by the author are personal
http://www.hindustantimes.com/This-cannot-be-a-one-Bill-movement/Article1-682878.aspx
Waking India – one man's campaign against corruption
Anna Hazare's hunger strike has inspired Indians as frustration grows at the subversion of the rule of law and moral values
The Jantar Mantar in New Delhi is a hot favourite of the average tourist in the summer. But since 5 April 2011, the astronomical observation site has become a focus of an anti-corruption campaign that has never been seen before, thanks to Anna Hazare. After decades of utter frustration, this one man, a veteran Gandhian, has emerged as the champion for tackling the menace of corruption. His crusade is a measure of the pent-up anger, especially among the young, springing from the manner in which politicians of all hues are taking the country for a ride through misuse of office and naked corruption. With the gap between the haves and have-nots widening, there is a sense of frustration among the diminishing tribe of honest Indians which is ready to explode.
Over the past six decades, the four pillars of democracy, the legislature, judiciary, executive and the press, have all developed serious problems in India. The rule of law stands subverted and moral values seriously eroded. The civil rights of women and children suffer blatant violations. Daily newspapers are replete with news of rape, dowry-deaths, trafficking, abduction and murder. The weak, the elderly and those living alone are robbed and killed every day. The police authorities prefer to look the other way. Attempts to lodge complaints with them are simply stonewalled unless some activist take the cudgels of justice in their hands. Members of the hallowed corridors of the law courts have succumbed to the temptations of underhand deals. Shanti Bhushan, a leading lawyer, claimed that half of the 16 supreme court chief justices before whom he had appeared were corrupt.
Newspaper owners and managers are known to strike deals with corporate bosses to give them favourable coverage through "paid news". Schools openly arm-twist parents to part with hefty sums of money before admitting children to their portals and euphemistically call it a "donation". Indeed no receipt is given for this transaction. While the government feigns helplessness, the practice gains acceptance.
Most of the emerging middle-class's entrepreneurs are blinded by their desire to get rich quickly, by hook or by crook. Their conscience does not prick them when they resort to falsification, telling lies, fraudulent practices, cheating and adulteration. Dodging taxes in the name of tax planning is smart business. Even godly men and religious preachers are embroiled in corruption and scandals of various types. The country has an abysmal record of penalising offenders who have someone to protect.
Hazare, a social worker, has been demanding that the government enact a comprehensive anti-corruption law and draft a citizen's ombudsman bill, or Lokpal bill. He looks to have won his battle, so has announced that he will break his fast on Saturday. India must fully embrace his plan to root out the cancer of corruption. Otherwise, this climate of economic hardship, with high food prices and rising unemployment, could become a catalyst for political turmoil of the sort seen elsewhere in the world, with even more serious consequences not only for India but also for the rest of the world. The Facebook youth of India might just wake up.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/apr/08/india-campaign-corruption-anna-hazare
Anna Hazare: India's pioneering social activist
Former army driver Anna Hazare shot to public attention when he transformed his drought-affected village into a self-sufficient model community.
This frail 72-year-old, dressed in white and with a Gandhi cap, has become an icon for India's middle classes, now expressing their anger against a series of corruption scandals.
He has undertaken a "fast unto death" to demand stringent anti-corruption laws and in particular a law to create an ombudsman to deal with allegations.
Born Kisan Bapat Baburao Hazare, he is well-known as a social activist in his home state of Maharashtra, where he turned his village of Ralegan Siddhi into an environmental prototype.
Mr Hazare managed to motivate the villagers to build dams and percolation tanks, to conserve water and to plant thousands of trees.
In less than a decade, Ralegan Siddhi had become a sustainable community so successful the state government officially adopted the Ralegan Siddhi model and replicated it in villages across Maharashtra.
But as part of the struggle to change his village's environmental outlook, Mr Hazare also sought social transformation. He campaigned against alcohol and tobacco and for literacy. He fought against regressive customs, such as dowry and ostentatious weddings and confronted entrenched caste attitudes.
It is this work that brought him national and international recognition by way of awards and gave him the credibility to pursue his campaign against corruption.
Fasting weaponThe fast that he began on 5 April in Delhi is not his first. In fact, fasting has been a weapon he has used with some success several times in the past.
His previous targets have been in the Maharashtra state government. He has succeeded in getting ministers to resign and forced the government to transfer corrupt officials.
In 1997 Mr Hazare also used the fast as a way to push the Maharashtra government to enact a Right to Information law. When the government dragged its feet, he once again fasted. Finally, on the 12th day of his fast in 2003, the state government bought in the law.
That campaign was a precursor to a national campaign that culminated in a Right to Information Act passed by Parliament in 2005.
In a campaign against corruption launched in 1991, Mr Hazare argued for decentralisation and putting power in the hands of people.
He has fought for the empowerment of the gram sabha, or village parliament. This is an institution that already exists as part of the decentralised system of government introduced in 1992.
But in many states gram sabhas have not been able to take decisions. Mr Hazare believed that corruption could be checked if people knew they could ask questions and make demands of their local governments.
This latest demand for a centralised institution - a corruption ombudsman - is rooted in the belief that such a body can deal with something as endemic as corruption in India.
But it is in some ways contrary to his philosophy so far.
His work in Ralegan Siddhi on environmental sustainability centred on people taking responsibility for their village rather than waiting for the government to act.
His demand for empowered gram sabhas rested on the belief that people were best placed to make decisions about governance within a decentralised system.
In both instances he recognised centralised systems and bureaucracies as a creating conditions in which corruption could flourish.
Media enthusiasmGiven the way practically all institutions have lost credibility, even the judiciary to some extent, it seems contradictory for Mr Hazare to put all his weight behind a central ombudsman.
However, India's hyperactive 24-hour television news channels have responded enthusiastically to the campaign.
The media attention has encouraged more middle class citizens to come out on the streets holding candles, carrying placards, shouting slogans, singing songs and even fasting in sympathy with Hazare.
The numbers are modest but the buzz on social networking sites as well as media attention makes it appear larger.
Some channels have even gone to the extent of comparing Jantar Mantar, the place where Hazare is fasting in New Delhi, to Cairo's Tahrir Square.
The sticking point at the moment is not the law itself but some provisions in it. Mr Hazare's supporters are demanding a central role in deciding the content of the law. The government argues that social activism is not equivalent to competence in drafting legislation.
How the deadlock will be resolved is not yet clear. But what is evident is that for India's middle class, and especially some young people, the romance of following a Mahatma-like figure is appealing.
They believe the series of corruption scandals over the last months have tarnished shining India's image. When questioned, few understand the systemic problems that allow corruption to become embedded.
The mood amongst them is anti-politician, an attitude that sits oddly with their being citizens of the world's most populous democracy.
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