After much hue and cry the cabinet ultimately passed the resolution for a much diluted Lokpal Bill. However, to the chagrin of people waiting for a firm bill, the draft Lokpal bill is nothing but their hopes getting belied. It seems the Govt wants to deal with the veteran social worker and agitationist Anna Hazere in the same way as it dealt with Yoga Guru Baba Ramdev annihilating his movement with an iron hand. In fact, the Govt is acting rather as anarchist as major political parties lack the will to get the Lokpal bill passed in the parliament.

Frankly speaking, political parties know very well how their expenses are met and what is the source of their massive party fund utilized during elections. In essence, the very existence of political parties finds its base in corruption and mal practices. So, imagining a bill getting passed in the parliament to control the vicious corruption would rather be naive. Factually, all political parties today have made corruption as their biggest weapon to fight elections. They believe that since they are the elected representatives of the people given the responsibility to run the country on their behalf, people like Anna Hazare and Baba Ramdev couldn’t outwit them or for that matter even scare them. If a person like Anna Hazare and Baba Ramdev becomes the voice of the people and take up their cause for the betterment of nation, malicious charges of being anti-democratic anti-constitutional, anti-parliament are heaped on them. Whether its Indian national Congress BJP, CPI and other national and sundry regional political parties, politicians know very well how difficult it is to fight elections and constitute a political party. Naturally, it’s a far-fetched dream to see Anna Hazare or Ramdev forming a political party, win election honestly and dislodge the congress or BJP Government in the centre or states.

One of the best examples unraveling this fact in a crystal clear manner is that of popular public orator and motivator Mr. Shiv Khera, who contested election from south Delhi parliamentary constituency-known for its highly educated, upwardly mobile elite residents, but got his security deposit seized. In this situation, if Anna Hazare takes the support of BJP or CPIM to protest against the congress regime on the issue of corruption then it is sure that his movement will be sidelined branding him as a communal and politically motivated person. The way the centre has tackled the Ramdev issue reflects very well how a genuine challenge to the govt is silenced indirectly and put into the grave by hook or crook. And if Anna Hazare, runs the movement against corruption without taking support form any political party then either the centre will completely ignore it or will create such obstacles that the movement will itself get sabotaged.

The question which arises is whether the work carried out by Anna Hazare and Baba Ramdev so far, will go in vain? The answer would depend much on the strategies being chalked out by both of them in future. Now, the strategy would not be to get their demands passed by the govt but to create mass awareness on panIndiascale against corruption of magnanimous proportion. People should be motivated to take to streets creating a massive and undeterred force against corruption. It will be a long struggle definitely but the results would be fruitful too. Anna Hazare calls his agitation against corruption as the second struggle forIndependencebut he should also realize that how long it took Mahatama Gandhi to raise his non-violence movement and how painstakingly he adhered to his principles and vision.

People should be given a clarion call to boycott the meetings, rallies of corrupt politicians floating neck deep in corruption. They should never be honoured at any public or religions platform. Anna Hazare should mobilize public and honest politicians in support of his version of Lokpal Bill and give his vital support to all political parties who acknowledge his draft Lokpal Bill. And in case not a single political party backs him up then he should himself prepare a team of honest and upright people for the next general election contesting all the 545 seats of Lok Sabha so that not a single political party is seated in the parliament. It’s high time, the citizen of this country should come forward against the corruption or else our country will turn into anarchy.

Your comments are welcome at

rgupta@nnsonline.com 

Hindi Translation