This is not an article to assert my political creed, as if the thugs have left us with a choice to retain any. Neither is this an article to join the bandwagon of the those going ga-ga over Mr. Hazare. I strongly support the Jan Lokpal Bill, but I do not believe it is the ultimate cure for all the malaise accumulated by decades of corruption. I'd guarantee you than over fifty percent of those dancing in the Ram Lila Maidan right now, wouldn't even know the concept of a Lokpal, let alone the bill. For those wreaking Hullabaloo over Anna Hazare and his Ann-Shan, I'd suggest you to stay home for a day and read, read concrete data as to what the Bill is about, what/where real corruption lies and then see for yourself how effective it is going to be. I assure you that this is not the end of the road, as most of you are making to be.
This man from Ralegaon Siddhi, in his unconventional (read Gandhian) mannerisms, has achieved a feat so spectacular which many literate, powerful and passionate individuals of the past have tried of doing but never succeeded, which every cynical middle class man has only boasted of would-have been done were he made the Prime Minister of India and which every Political Party has promised to do were they thrust to power. Yes, Anna Hazare has given corruption the blow that it required. And trust me, the war has just begun. I'd give him all credit and praise for starting this anti-corruption movement which gives a glimmer of hope that the earlier-so-impossible task of cleansing the whole filthy system is now an achievable dream. A Salute.
But that's only one side of the coin. Frankly speaking, I caught up with the Jan Lokpal Campaign a little late. Reason one being, the association one of the biggest thugs of this country, Mr. Ram Krishna Yadav (You'd know him as Baba Ramdev) with the movement and all his antics that followed. As he has already made a fool of himself on national television, I do not feel the urge to waste my time by insulting him anymore here.The second (and the more important) reason is where the bigger problem lies. If we were to conduct a poll of all the Ramlila enthusiasts right now, I bet most (if not all) people will know much more about Anna Hazare than the Lokpal Bill. This you see is the problem with us. The person becomes bigger than the issue. Anna Hazare has already been given God-Like status and aye, he is well aware of it. Now he plans to re-fast for issues as Farmer's Land Acquisition Rights, and more. He is the new messiah of the people - one who can blackmail the government with his Ann-shans and get all he wants. He is judging reality shows with eyes full of glycerine and pulling dramatics at Rajghat. A similar show is staged by his comrades. This, my friend, is not eliminating corruption but encouraging oligarchy wherein indefinite power is being transferred from a small group of citizens (the government) to another small group of people (the civil society). Why are people dancing to the tunes of the Civil Society until and unless they dont know the pros and cons of the Lokpal Bill and when they don't even know what true corruption is and where it lies.
Let me give you an example of what true corruption is. A few days back, I was travelling from my college, Dwarka, to my erstwhile home, Mayur Vihar. I had to change trains at an intermediate station - Yamuna Bank. It was late evening hours - a time when rush is particularly high. An old lady had to get down at the same station, just parallel to the door I was supposed to exit from. Barbarians, as they are, the crowd that was supposed to enter, jammed the passage from outside. As soon as the gates opened, the lady requested to the crowd coming in, "Bhayya ji, utarne toh do!" "Nahi utarne denge", was the impertinent reply, and they stormed in throwing the old lady back into the compartment, rushing like madmen; hungry for space. The old lady fell down and suffered injuries. Imagine your mother/grandmother being in the same situation. And these are those same hypocrites, slandering the government for their unethical means. These hooligans must as well be damned for their corrupted souls as they are damning the government.
On a final note, I may not have been too vocal about the whole Lokpal Bill, I may not have danced at the Ramlila grounds like many who did but I do feel proud that as an individual I've tried to be as ethical and un-corrupted as I could. I have always tried to maintain the highest moral code and tried to contribute to my society and my country in the best possible way. And I assure you, Anna or no Anna, I will continue doing so. It is wonderful that the Bill has been passed, as to now we have an effective weapon to tackle corruption at a macro level. However, weapons as these are useless until the people realize their responsibilities. Eliminating corruption has much more to do with than just passing a bill in the parliament. It starts with "YOU" as an individual.
A video relevant to the state of affairs by Rabbi. One of my all time favorite songs.
No comments:
Post a Comment