with love

Biraja Mahaptra

I can very well imagine the extent of highlights in media regarding the fasting episode after India Shining campaign a few years ago. The same set of people who were applauding India due to economic development during India Shining campaign, are now telling India has not grown up economically. Where do they find this information? From field studies? No, they listen what front-line media houses tell and tend to believe. If we meet people away from capital cities, you get a completely different picture of development and view on corruption. People are of view that executives in government and corporate are the culprits. Whom do you believe?

In democracy, elected politicians must be equally or less corrupt than an average citizen. That is why they are elected by us. Let ourselves be better, and elect better people as our representatives. Daring people criticizing politicians must come forward to join politics and bring changes in system.

About Anna Hazare as person, I greatly respect him for his social work in Maharashtra, and I would be happy like many others if he can contribute at national level. But NOT in this way, certainly, at the expense of our democratic system.

About Political Parties, many people from both leading national parties like Congress and BJP have been proven corrupt. Even people of regional parties in different states of India have now been accused of larger corruption charges. But I would not be ambiguous to accuse our democracy and political system as a corrupt one. At least, not now! : )

Well written and nice, clear line of thought.

Let me respond & debate some of the key issues in A Farce of Fasting – All in Democracy with some more details …

You write:

‘We already have a democratic system in place. This system seems to be defunct at many times as our entire population is not vocal. Many people live in conditions deprived of basic facilities including their access to information.’

Yes India is a democracy. Of 1.21 billion people.

using the Indian way of measuring, 120 crores people live here. Out of these, 50% of the people – 60 crores are below the age of 25.

We are getting younger and have tremendous potential – possibly the most amongst all nations of the world who are getting older. In that sense, this timespan – 2000 to 2100 would be simply a great century for India.

The flip side is that more than 50% of these people are POOR.

You write:

‘Many people live in conditions deprived of basic facilities including their access to information.’

Let me state it accurately:

60 crores are POOR. VERY POOR. So poor that they do not get food to eat even once a day.

And that is where a FAST assumes significance. That is why Gandhiji adopted it as a non violent instrument of protest.

Anna Hazare did the same and please remember his was not a token one day fast – it was a fast unto DEATH. Let me emphasize that it was NOT a ‘Farce of Fasting.’

Now let us turn to ‘All in Democracy.’

‘We already have a democratic system in place. This system seems to be defunct at many times as our entire population is not vocal.’

How can a person dying of hunger be vocal?

A democratic system has four pillars – legislature, judiciary, executive and the press. Over 60 years, the political class in this country and this includes ALL political parties has completely monopolized the vote market.

Anna Hazare knows this.

Our judiciary is one of the most inefficient institutions in human history. Everyone agrees to this. But the political class is NOT keen to change it. Simply because they are the ones who gain from it. They might cut a helpless image like Manmohan Singh and mouth compulsions but they do not WANT to do anything about it.

And that is why one bill does not get attention for more than 40 years!

Anna Hazare’s fast & movement had and has one single minded focus – ACT on that bill – the Lokpal bill.

Yes we hold elections and elect our representatives every four years. It is the job of the elected representatives to make laws that WORK for people – especially POOR people. Any Indian MUST and CAN have a say in the making of these laws.

Anna Hazare made sure that the voice of ordinary people – (call them civil society if you like) is heard while making laws. That is how the Right to Information came into existence in Maharashtra.

Making laws is NOT about elected representatives getting into a huddle and leaving ordinary people OUT of the process. The law making process MUST include the voice of ordinary people.

Today, for the first time such a phenomenon is taking place. It is important that we the well fed SUPPORT it 100%.

The political establishment does not actually like it! But they have dirtied our political system so badly in 60 years that it is impossible for they themselves to clean up. And that is where civil society has a role to play. Remember civil society is the very foundation of a democracy.

Let the Lokpal be a reality. And we would have taken the first landmark step which would shape our century.