A lot has been said and done in the past few days. Anna Hazare and his Gandhian ways have seemingly won against the Indian Government. The Jan Lokpal Bill seems to be a reality now. People have said many things in support of the movement, many have observed fast along with Anna Ji, those who couldn’t, shared their solidarity through mass media, social networking sites, skipping a meal a day, placing calls, sending sms’s and spreading awareness through profound discussions. For once, it seemed that this is one golden chance to unite the people of India, to provide them with a window of opportunity to do something against which they have been complaining so long, so frequently.
Now that the movement has ended, thanks to the GOI for acceding to the demands, more questions are coming up. Isn’t the Jan Lokpal a slap on the face of our vibrant and enduring democracy and its pillars, namely, Legislative, Executive, Judiciary and the Press? What ramifications can the concentration of powers in a single committee have? What is the guarantee that the committee and its chairman, who is not directly elected by common masses, will not be incorruptible? Or worse still, isn’t Anna Ji’s method of agitation setting a dangerous precedent in the minds of our people? Let’s deal with the last one for now.
Why is Anna Hazare’s mode of agitation being scrutinized and branded unfair whilst the Jat and the Gujjar agitations gleefully escape notice? True these agitations set a dangerous precedent in a democracy. But which one needs immediate counselling?
Let’s get some facts before going into the discussion.
The Gujjar agitation caused a loss of Rs 1500 crore to the Railways in 17 days. Railway tracks between Delhi and Mumbai were blocked along with the Jaipur – New Delhi highway. The previous agitation claimed the lives of 70 people. Tremendous damage was done to public property and still demands were pressed for the withdrawal of cases against the perpetrators. All this was done for 5% reservation in government jobs.
The Jat agitation also targeted the public property in general and the Railways in particular. For 15 days, they blocked the Delhi – Lucknow route. According to reports and NDTV news, 15 key train routes had been blocked for 15 days and 70 trains were cancelled. Around 12 lakh commuters had to face tremendous amounts of problems. This was done to get them included in the OBC bracket so that they too can get reservation in government jobs.
Compare them with the latest movement. Candle light marches, hunger strikes, no jamming of railway tracks, no reported loss of life or property, all protesters gathered at places which caused minimum disturbance to public life. Each and every member of the Indian society gathered in support of one optimistic proposal, that of creating a citizens’ ombudsman.
Now let’s have a history check.
The Jats first rose to prominence in the year 1669 in a rebellion against Aurangzeb. The Green Revolution, Panchayati Raj, Land Reforms, particularly the abolition of the Zamindari and the Jagirdari system has resulted in the Jats becoming one of the most prosperous groups in India on a per capita basis, with a large number of rural crorepatis.
The Gujjars, on the other hand, amaze me. They were the rulers of a once great empire in the early medieval India, who so utterly defeated a huge force under Caliph Junaid, that they had to run for their lives and could barely cross the Indus. How proud they should be of their history and tradition of bravery, and yet, they are now in a position to be counted amongst the OBC’s. I can only look with dismay at the turn of their fortune.
Let’s get back to the Indian government. For the first time in many years, we got a near clear mandate. The INC emerged much stronger than their previous tenure and people had their hopes pinned on them for the next five years. And yet, what did we get? CWG scam, Adarsh Housing scam, 2G Spectrum scam? Each scam causing a loss of more than a lakh crore (1 followed by 14 zeros!!!) INR to the exchequer. Pranab Mukherjee in his latest budget talked of so many investments, but he simply refused to earn. Where will he earn money from? There was again a furore regarding the appointment of the CVC. Mr. PJ Thomas, with a dubious background and with cases of corruption pending against him, was chosen by the ruling Congress. I mean, are you nuts? And all this while, our honest (not being sarcastic) Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, gives just one argument in defence, that he was not aware of things. Now you cannot put such a lame excuse forward when you are in charge of the most responsible post in India and head the group of minister governing 120 crore fucking people. We are not morons for God’s sake. People choose you, so that you pay heed to what they say and what they want. You 545 members carry more expectations per capita than those 11 hapless cricketers who won the World Cup, despite not being answerable to the people of India, at least on paper, and yet have to bear the brunt of all the failures.
A Raja, Suresh Kalmadi, Mamata Banerjee are the persons who matter to all the Indians till 2013. We launched an agitation keeping constitutional morality in our head. The men in the Parliament had stopped listening to a demand which brings hope in the minds of the Indians across the length and breadth of the country. And yet we are restrained. Yet we did not resort to violence, blocking our railways network, damaging public property when a 72 year old is fasting not for getting some bloody parochial demands like getting reservations in government jobs met. Yet we control ourselves when Iron Sharmila Chanu fasts for 10 years to get the Draconian AFSPA lifted and instead of listening to her, the government of India forces food through her nostrils in a hospital. We kept constitutional morality in our minds. We will keep constitutional morality in our minds. We are too proud a nation to stoop low while pursuing something which will take us one step forward as a peoples’ democracy. And we have the history and credits of being the oldest surviving civilization in the world. But the government of India keeps just one thing in mind, public memory is woefully volatile and short. Unfortunately, this is the sad truth. And this is why life attempts are dared on RTI activists. And this is why we want Jan Lokpal. To protect ourselves when we fight against injustice, to safeguard our rights and our dignity as an Indian citizen when they are being furtively and yet mercilessly trampled upon by any damned person or entity on earth.
- Sarkar
a good study.. well written