It looks like Anna and his Lokpal bill is one stop solution for all the problems India is facing. Corruption has been now so interwoven into the life of India in general. Having an independent (or autocratic) governing authority where the guilty does not even have 1 right to appeal would take corruption to newer levels that India has never seen before.
Corruption is unconstitutional as well as these modes of protesting. I always had this idea even before I came across the following website "http://pragati.nationalinterest.in/2011/05/jan-lok-pal-is-both-unconstitutional-and-unnecessary/".
BR Ambedkar himself states “If we wish to maintain democracy not merely in form, but also in fact, what must we do? The first thing in my judgment we must do is to hold fast to constitutional methods of achieving our social and economic objectives. It means we must abandon the bloody methods of revolution. It means that we must abandon the method of civil disobedience, non-cooperation and Satyagraha. When there was no way left for constitutional methods for achieving economic and social objectives, there was a great deal of justification for unconstitutional methods. But where constitutional methods are open, there can be no justification for these unconstitutional methods. These methods are nothing but the Grammar of Anarchy and the sooner they are abandoned, the better for us”. So beware all those people who are with Anna in his protests. We have now opened up a great gate to Anarchy to make way among us.
If people had taken a little time to do research before jumping into this mass hysteria of Anna'a campaign, maybe it would have forced Anna to get back to the constitutional ways of addressing issues.
From my little bit of knowledge,
1.) Create public awareness to garner public support.
2.) Get the support of NGO's.
3.) Use all modes of mediums to further drive information and support.
4.) Contact local and central government heads for attention. Have the results of these meetings published.
5.) Educate the public why the current institutions like CVC, CBI, SC, Lokayukta, and other judicial systems do not work before putting an all powerful Jan Lokpal bill under our throats.
6.) Educate people to invalidate their local constituencies during elections incase there are no progress made in curbing corruption.
7.) Form a private Not for Profit NGO who will take the initiative for campaigning and publicising the corrupt practises in all walks of life (Hmm... I remember a certain organisation by the name of "Greenpeace").
Again, these ae just some steps from an armchair activist. I am sure people with passion and real long term foresight will come up with more constitutional and effective ways of fighting this social and civil evil.
My questions for Anna and his followers:
1) Will Lokpal Bill ensure that there wont be any child slavery in the carpet industry and fireworks industry of India?
2.) Will Lokpal Bill ensure that the repressive ASFPA will be abolished in our North Eastern states and provide the basic right of freedom to our brothers and sisters there?
3.) Will Lokpal Bill ensure justice to the riot victims of 1984, 1992 and 2002?
4.) WIll Lokpal Bill ensure justice to the victims of the Bhopal Gas Tragedy?
5.) Will Lokpal Bill ensure justice to the victims of pesticide use in Swarg, Kasherkode in Kerala?
6.) Will Lokpal Bill ensure timely and efficient dealing of court cases?
7.) Will Lokpal Bill ensure that there wont be any more rampant sex-trafficking and sex-slavery in India?
8.) Will Lokpal Bill ensure that there is equal rights to our tribes?
9.) Will Lokpal Bill put an end to the divisive politics of casteism and regionalism?
10) Will Lokpal Bill become the missing wand that PM Manmohan Singh is missing to fight against corruption?
If any of the answers are no, then please tell the public as to why "Anna is India and India is Anna". Please also let us know why among all the grave problems India is facing, it is a Lokpal Bill against corruption and this protest that has been hogging the limelight in our television for such a long time.
Hope good sense prevails...
