Political Diary

New Delhi, 27 August 2011

Jan Shakti Wins…

TIME POLITY REFORMS

By Poonam I Kaushish

It was a red letter day for India’s Parliamentary democracy on Saturday last. When the country crossed the Rubicon from being a pictogram of a corrupt and autocratic polity to becoming an embodiment of people’s power. Of an aam aadmi movement which shook the roots of the UPA Government and our decrepit netas, cocooned in the belief they were invincible. A truly well fought victory of street power over State power!

Thanks to an ordinary man from Maharashtra’s modest Ralegan Siddhi village Anna Hazare who sat on a fast-unto death at Union Capital Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan, ignited the imagination of the aam janata and renewed his fight against corruption and passage of the Jan Lokpal Bill. It was only on the 12^th day and after nearly 280 hours of fasting, eyeball-confrontation, hits and misses, accusations of trust deficit and betrayal between Team Anna and the sarkar that Anna Hazare won his battle.

In one fell stroke, he not only brought the Government to its knees, exposed our petty politricking corrupt netas, rewrote the rules of the game but also became the symbol of a reinvigorated nation, the new youth icon. Indeed, a new chapter in Parliamentary history was written when Leader of the Lok Sabha Pranab Mukherjee moved a resolution agreeing “in principle” to Anna’s three demands.

Namely: An independent and effective Lokpal at the Centre and a Lokayukta on same model in each State. Two, Lokpal and Lokayuktas to have jurisdiction over all Government servants (barring judicial officers) at the Centre and respective States. Three, all Government departments to have a Citizens Charter with a timeline for the completion of any work. Any violation of the Citizens Charter would be penalised by the Lokpal or Lokayukta.

Truly, a historic moment of the power of Jan Shakti. Holding the tiranga aloft, the aam janata in their rediscovered Gandhi topis nee Anna cap, sang patriotic songs and swayed to the Anna chant all over the country.  For the first time India stood united spoke in one voice to end corruption. The finest example of upholding the tenets of democracy, the likes of it never seen before.

Also creditable, pushed to the wall our leaders finally too rose to the occasion and demonstrated their resolve to find a via media and arrive at a consensus. Thereby, re-establishing the supremacy of Parliament. It is not a coincidence that as the Anna protest peaked, both Houses saw reasoned debates and very little of raucous behaviour.

Importantly, notwithstanding denouncements that Anna’s fasting-blackmailing tactics were anathema of democracy, his movement achieved the unthinkable: United India as one whole, broke caste-creed barriers encompassing the middle-class and disadvantaged to create a larger ‘apolitical platform.’ This holds out weighty lessons which our polity can ignore only at their peril.

Our leaders need to realize that there is a clear shift in the people-politician equation. Words like “we are MPs how dare you speak to us like this, how dare any Tom, Dick and Harry hold the Government to ransom” and “Parliament is supreme” will no longer cut ice. True, it is nobody’s case that our Parliament is not the highest temple of our democracy. But at the same time our netagan need to recognize that their so-called power stems from the people whom they claim to represent. But in their arrogance of power they have forgotten this. Thus, behavioural changes are the order of the day.

Two, Anna Hazare has helped crystallise widespread popular anger against corruption, malfeasance and mis-governance wherein it would be near impossible for our polity to continue with the status quo. He has shown the aam aadmi a ray of hope via the Jan Lokpal Bill whereby our leaders have been put on notice. Rectify the ills to ensure that the aam aadmi no longer needs to pay bribes for his survival from the police thanedar, patwari, block development officer, Government peon or babu up to his MLA and MP. 

Three, Anna Hazare has filled the leadership vacuum created in the wake of an acute leadership deficit along-with having a ‘power centre’ outside the Government. See how Rahul Gandhi broke his silence after 11 days only to trash his Prime Minister peace overture to Anna, “I applaud and salute him.” Said Rahul: “A tactical incursion divorced from an elected Government …. sets a dangerous precedent. Sic.

What to speak of the main Opposition party that has displayed its own inability to do anything substantial, intelligent or meaningful. Pulling in different direction the BJP is riddled with differences of one-upmanship. Less said the better of our mohalla mentality regional satraps whose raison d atre is playing up to their caste-creed vote-bank politics.  .

Arguably, does democracy with elections every five years give our Right Honourables the carte blanche to do as he or his Party desires. It may be politically correct to say that if the aam janata does not subscribe to the actions taken by them they can be thrown out in the next poll. But this is easier said than done. One bad Government gives way to a worse Government after five years. Thus, either which way, the aam aadmi continues to suffer. Is this democracy? Whatever happened to the term participatory and inclusive democracy?

The time has come for us to introspect and cleanse the system before it starts to rot. Our netagan need to undergo a catharsis. All eyes are now on Parliament’s Standing Committee and how it studies, fine tunes and incorporates suggestions and comes forth with a an effective, strong, free and impartial Lokpal Bill which will enable citizens to sue even the most powerful arm of the State for corruption and finally bell the big fat cat of corruption.  Given that the Bill has been hanging fire for over 42 long years and has been introduced eight times since 1968 only to lapse each time.

True, it would be presumptuous to presume that a piece of paper will sound the death-knell of the corrupt. Given that corruption is as old as history in India. Clearly, Hazare’s biggest achievement is that he has shown to the aam janata the power they have and can wield to make and break our self-serving netas. For the first time the people have experienced the power of being in control, truly the masters and our polity the servants to serve them.

The battle may have been won but the war is far from over. The next step is to bring other reforms without which the Lokpal Bill would be of no use. Namely, the Judicial Accountability Bill, Whistleblowers Protection Bill, Electoral reforms, which is the root cause of all corruption and have been hanging fire since 1991. Each Government makes promises only to forget these once it fades from public memory.

All in all, Hazare has sounded the bugle against corruption and our polity has seemingly taken the first tentative step to eradicate this scourge from public life. No longer will India and its people remain silent. High time our leaders read the writing on the wall and become accountable, usher in honest governance, probity and morality. They need to remember that India is not their personal jagir. As Victor Hugo said: “You can resist an invading army; you cannot resist an idea whose time has come.”  Indeed, the idea of India has arrived! ------ INFA

(Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)