This one has
been a long-time coming. But better late than never, right? Here is a not-so-brief
rundown on what I have observed in the past few months about the Lokpal, Jan
Lokpal Bills and the associated scenario.
1. Of the
People?
The people
that were seen in hordes were usually from urban, well-off families. Were they
the farmers of Nandigram? Or the families displaced due to the Narmada dam? The
suicidal farmers from the very neighbourhood of Ralegan Siddhi or the victims
of the Bhopal Gas Tragedy? I'm sad to admit, but students of very prominent
colleges in Delhi often admit to visiting the Ramlila grounds as an
'adventure'. Sad, but true.
2.
Democratic. Or not.
The Jan
Lokpal Bill was seen by many as a draconian law, which aimed at bringing the
Prime Minister, the Judiciary, all the government offices and the millions of
people working in them under one single person - the Lokpal (ombudsman) and a
handful of others. Instead of focusing on improving the state of affairs in the
existing institutions, it was creating a new one over which no one held any
power. It was claimed that the Lokpal members would be from the 'civil'
society. This raises another set of doubts.
(a) Who is the civil society? Is it the
high profile dignitaries who can be seen shouting 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' and the
like on television? Or is it common people like me and you? Or the victims of
numerous tragedies that have plagued our country in the past and continue to do
so?
(b) How were the Lokpal members going to be
elected? Were there supposed to be systematic elections? If yes, then why was a
core 'Team Anna' member trashing the elections that already take place and
suggested that we are animals for queuing up and voting? Wern't we the ones who
rejoiced and felt proud of the participation of the youth in the last Lok Sabha
elections? Then why are we so ready to be swayed by a few words, and so easily?
From what I
see, if the bill had been passed the way Team Anna wants it, it would've
created another powerhouse that the people would've been subjected to. I'd like
to insert something I read on one of the news websites:
"The
demands of Anna and team are both undemocratic and will undermine the very idea
of representative democracy with freedom..And though the government's lokpal is
tooth less, Anna's Jan Lokpal is a bigger threat as it may create not a watch
dog but a demon which might not be controlled by our constitution."
If there are people who think that such a scenario is absurd and impossible, I'd like you to read a bit about The Reign Of Terror.
3.
Accountability of the Lokpal
To whom
would the Lokpal and team been accountable? When faced with this question, Team
Anna and supporters were quick to respond - to the people, of course. But my
question is - How? What would've been the mechanism to ensure that the Lokpal
himself is completely honest and just? What would be done if he is not? Is
there an impeachment process for the same? Who would initiate that? The
government? The very government which itself would've been unstable if its
Prime Minister would be under the thumb of the Lokpal?
4. Supremacy
of the Supreme Court
This one
became more of an ego-clash than the rest. The government argued that no one or
nothing should be above the Supreme Court in terms of authority. But it cannot
be ignored that a LOT of the judges are corrupt, which is lethal to the
integrity of our country. My opinions is: the Supreme Court should be under the
Lokpal, but there should be a mechanism in place to ensure false allegations
are not made against a judge while he is presiding on a case.
5. Right to
Choice
I don't
understand that if Anna himself said that the people of India should have a
voice, then why is it assumed by a majority that there cannot be a dissenting
one? Why are people ready to bull-doze (metaphorically, of course) anyone who
breathes a word against the Jan Lokpal Bill. If somebody dissents, it’s their
absolute right to do so, whether justified or not, because at the end of the
day, it's their opinion.
6. Anna is
India?
I don't
think anything could be further from the truth. Our country is too vast and
diverse to be identified by a single person. The saying 'Anna is India. India
is Anna' is not only rash and unreasonable, but very immature and insulting to
the Father of our nation, to the people and soldiers who died, and continue to
die for this country. Yes, Anna's leadership and efforts will go down in
history, but he, no matter how great a leader, is not greater than or equal to
our country.
7. Irom
Sharmila
I came across
an interview of Abhay Deol, a well-known Bollywood actor, in support of Irom
Sharmila and her ten-year fast. Piqued curiosity and Google made me learn so
much about a very serious case of human-rights abuse in India.
Irom
Sharmila is a civil rights activist who has been on hunger strike for more than
ten years now, to demand that the government repeal the Armed Forces (Special
Powers) Act,1958 (AFSPA). The act is blamed for permitting various human
rights' violations - torture, forced disappearances and extra-judicial
executions. A shocking incident involving the arrest of an 11-year old girl was
reported in 2009 and can be seen here, on the
Amnesty International website. To read further about rights' violations in
Manipur, click here.
8. Humbling
participation of masses
Though it's
saddening to see that the entire campaign came down to taking sides, it
was very heartening to see people unite to fight corruption.
9.
Government's Fallacies
I'm not
saying the government is less to be blamed for the scenario. There are so many
things it could have done sensibly and differently. Things would have been much
different if that would've been the case. Team Anna was supposed to be a
part of the drafting committee of the Lokpal Bill. But then our beloved (cue
sarcasm) Cabinet ministers drafted a bill that was totally unacceptable. What
choice would Team Anna have but to draft their version of the bill and insist
on the same being tabled in the parliament?
The session
at parliament is over and the dust has settled. As an end note, I'd like to
request all of you to be well-informed before forming an opinion about
anything. I'm not against Team Anna, neither do I support it. Same is my
opinion about the government. I believe that to be a democracy with a strong
foundation, it is essential for everyone involved - the government, Team Anna
as well as the we, the common people - to work together in a peaceful and
cooperative manner. We have to listen to each other. Just because someone finds
inconsistency in our version of the solution doesn't mean they are against us,
it means they might have a better solution. We have to keep our minds open and
be mature enough to welcome constructive criticism and work towards the goal as
a one.
The goal of a better nation.
