India: Anna Hazare And His Times – Analysis

Oscar Wilde has one his characters declare in Lady Windermere’s Fan, “I can resist anything but temptation.” The temptation to enter the debate on the Anna Hazare controversy is too great to resist despite several weeks having elapsed since it started. In the meantime, the chasm between the protagonists of Anna Hazare’s anti-corruption campaign and those holding it to be unconstitutional and undemocratic has widened. The latter argue that the correct forum for debating the Lokpal Bill is Parliament. Yielding to public agitations, however laudable their objectives, will establish an unhealthy precedent. On the other hand, the protagonists point out that Parliament is dysfunctional and will not act until it is compelled. The rapid enlargement of this agitation to acquire an all-India character reveals that public corruption has become so pervasive in India as to evoke national exasperation. Anna Hazare is a beacon of hope now.

Anna Hazare is anti-Dalit: Mayawati

Social activist Anna Hazare has laid bare his anti-Dalit mindset by not including even one member from the community on the anti-graft Lokpal Bill drafting committee, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati said Friday

Police reforms: Need for Anna Hazare-type movement

If corruption is a buzzword after Anna Hazare's campaign, then it's nowhere better reflected than in Indian police. The recent Transparency International India puts policing at No.1 in the corruption stakes and most of the complaints received by the National Human Rights Commission since its inception in 1993 are on police abuse.

The year 2011 will also mark the 150th anniversary of the Indian Police Act enacted along with the Indian Legislative Act, 1861, to rule the colonial British India.

Most of the problem in Indian policing has to do with the constitutional problems from where it stems. The Indian Police Act enacted by the colonial British government is 150 years old. One can understand the history surrounding the act as just before the Indian Police Act 1861 the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857 took place.

The act was enacted taking into consideration that revolts needs to be crushed. Its aid was to quell natives. Constitutionally, the act was enacted to give more powers to the executive and not for the ordinary citizen. That's precisely the reason why since independence and India's becoming republic in 1950, no serious political discourse has taken place as politicians find it convincing to use and manipulate the police forces.

So the question arises whether there's any other alternative. The alternative is found in the British London Bobby system itself where supposedly a constable would be patrolling the streets unarmed. Under this system, the police are held accountable to the people.

Anna campaign will reduce corruption, says poll

Most Indians seem to believe that the campaign launched by Gandhian Anna Hazare will hit corruption in the country, says a nationwide opinion poll.

At the same time, most of the nearly 2,000 respondents quizzed in 10 cities felt the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government was ‘the most corrupt government ever’.

Only 27 percent were sceptical of achieving positive results in eliminating corruption.

Only 30 percent thought otherwise while 12 percent had no opinion.

Asked which state government was the least corrupt, 40 percent voted for Gujarat followed by Bihar (17 percent) and Kerala (8 percent).

Maharashtra, Delhi and Rajasthan figured low down in the order, with barely four-to-five percent speaking in their favour.

The poll was conducted in New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Kochi, Jaipur and Bhubaneshwar among nearly 2,000 respondents, mostly drawn from the middle classes. The poll was conducted between April 20 and 29.

Anna Hazare becomes a youth icon

Anna Hazare, widely known as the last Gandhian, who forced the federal government to agree to introduce stringent anti-graft legislation, has become a rallying point for youths in India.

The 71-year-old former Indian army driver-turned-social reformer’s five-day hunger-strike, at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi galvanized youths across religions.

It also imitated freedom fighter Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi who drove the mighty British imperialists out of India.

Hundreds of thousands of people joined Hazare’s crusade. As the wave of support grew into an avalanche through candle-lit rallies in many towns and cities in India and from around the world through social network sites such as Facebook and Twitter, the April 5-9 fast for an anti-graft law shook the Congress-led federal government and brought it to its knees to concede to the popular demand.

Since then a team of federal ministers and Hazare and his representatives have had two meetings to draft an anti-corruption bill to be introduced in the monsoon session of parliament. Hazare has threatened another hunger-strike if the anti-corruption bill is not passed before Independence Day on August 15.

Hazare would not have evoked such unprecedented public support had it not been for his austere Gandhian lifestyle. The white topi (cap) worn and popularized by Gandhi is back, and has captured the popular imagination of the masses.

Writing about the “Father of the Nation,” Einstein said that “generations to come will scarcely believe that such a one as this [Gandhi] ever in flesh and blood walked on this earth.”

Lokpal panel agrees on independent body

The Lokpal Bill joint drafting committee on Saturday moved towards formulation of a draft with civil society members and government representatives agreeing to set up an independent authority that will be endowed with financial and administrative autonomy.

Although the sticky issue of including the Prime Minister and the higher judiciary within the ambit of the Bill was set aside for “further discussion,'' the panel, significantly, agreed to do away with the hitherto provisions under the law for sanction by a higher authority to investigate and prosecute politicians and senior bureaucrats on corruption charges.

At present, to investigate and prosecute a Chief Minister, the Governor's sanction is required. This power will now be vested with the Lokpal (comprising six to 10 members headed by a chairperson) that would require no sanction from any authority under the Lokpal Bill.

Human Resource Development Minister and panel member Kapil Sibal described the meeting as “exceptionally constructive.'' “The drafting of the Bill will now begin in areas on which there is agreement,'' he said.

Invest in your own citizenship

One thing is clear from Anna Hazare’s campaign against corruption — the people in this country are desperately seeking honest and upright leaders. The outpouring of support from all over the nation is a real demonstration of this need. And while it is the right thing to do — support a cause and follow the 
one who leads it — this entire episode has raised some very important questions on the quality of citizenship we hold. We appear to be very happy being led — sometimes by bad men and sometimes by good men. But always led. Not questioning, not investing time in understanding what exactly the leaders are asking us to do. A case in point is this campaign against corruption.

While everyone instinctively responded to the demand to weed out corruption, very few people who were out on the streets had read the Jan Lokpal Bill being proposed by the campaign leaders. Further, as time went on, very few people were ready to listen to any arguments against the proposed Bill. If you are against the bill, you are with corruption and therefore unpatriotic.

'Wrongly issued' notice to Hazare withdrawn

The office of Charity Commissioner, Pune, has tendered an apology to social activist Anna Hazare and withdrew a 'showcause' notice served on him for not submitting the audit report of 'Hind Swaraj Trust' headed by him for two years between 2005 and 2007.

In a letter addressed to Hazare, it said the notice was "wrongly issued" to him by the office as a result of a clerical error responsible for non-entry of the trust accounts submitted to the Charity Commissioner in respect of the period from April 1, 2005 to March 31, 2007.

Milind Pawar, lawyer for Hazare had earlier accused the Charity Commissioner's office of a "design to defame" the anti-corruption crusader by issuing a "false notice" to him despite proper submission of the trust accounts for the period under reference.

"A mere apology is not enough and we are contemplating a legal course of action against the Charity Commissioner's office," Pawar said today

Anna Hazare's movement figures in ADB meet

Anna Hazare's movement for a tough legislation to check corruption in India today figured at an the Asian Development Bank meeting where Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee admitted the government came under the pressure of the civil society. 

"(Our) Government took quick action as a result of pressure built by civil society as any government which is responsible and responsive cannot ignore this fact," Mukherjee said in response to a question at Governors' Seminar, part of the ADB's official agenda for its annual meeting here. 

The Finance Minister said efforts of Hazare and other members of the civil society has brought to focus the important issue. 

"One social activist Anna Hazare , along with the efforts of the others, have brought to focus one important aspect of legislation which has been pending for long. This will deal with corruption in high places," he said. 

Anna Hazare's Assam visit postponed

He will not be able to attend the public meeting in the city on May 3 due to physical ailments. Addressing a press conference in Guwahati on Saturday, peasant leader Akhil Gogoi said he was informed by Anna's close associates, Manish Sisodia and Arvind Kejriwal, that the veteran social activist could not visit Assam owing to poor health condition. The KMSS leader said Anna's meeting has been postponed to May 20

Delhi high court dismisses plea against Anna Hazare

The Delhi high court has dismissed a petition seeking removal of activist Anna Hazare from the Lokpal bill drafting committee and held that setting up of the panel is in the executive’s exclusive domain.

A bench of justices Deepak Misra and Sanjiv Khanna rejected plea made by by a civil society organisation Jan Shakti alleging corruption in the trust administered by Hazare.

Judges said the suitability of the persons who form a panel could not be a matter of judicial review, thus doesn’t call for judicial interference.

Pilots back Hazare call AI corrupt

Nearly 150 pilots gather at Gateway of India to support Kiran Bedi-led anti-graft rally, say they want to expose corruption within Air India ranks

People urged to switch off lights Hazare's support

In order to support Anna Hazare's campaign against corruption, an NGO has urged the residents to switch off lights for half-an-hour from 8 pm to 8.30 pm on Sunday.

The NGO wishes to show its support to Hazare who is fighting against corruption. With an aim to get the Janlok Pal Bill passed in Parliament under the banner of India Against Corruption, Sunday would be observed as a day of silent protest.

The residents have been asked to switch off lights and to light candles on Sunday evening. The NGO has also appealed the people to gather at Shivaji Park in Shivaji Nagar on Sunday evening to take out a candlelight march.