CORRUPTION AND LOK PAL BILL

The Government has accommodated 36 of the 40 points in the Lok Pal Bill from Anna Hazare.

When Anna Hazare stood up against official corruption, I was there, along with other Indians, including Muslims, supporting him and his cause. Sadly, like many other mass movements, we soon started to have a spectacle in which all kinds of fascists and shady characters had encircled Anna.
Today, many of us are forced to reconsider our position of backing Anna Hazare’s campaign. We do respect him and the enduring work he has done in Ralegan Siddhi as well as scores of villages around it. We still stand by Anna’s complaint that there is too much of corruption in our public life and it must be done away with. However, the fact remains that Anna Hazare is being a little too simplistic.
It is quite obvious now that opportunistic elements are trying to come to power riding on an Anna wave like they did on the Jaiprakash Narain bandwagon in 1977. This sabotage of democracy and the replacement of the state by the mob cannot be allowed. We have to remember that hundreds of millions of Indians handed over a mandate to the UPA, not Anna Hazare and his team, to run the country. Thus, it is the authority of the Union government and the responsibility of Parliament to make law, not Anna Hazare’s.
To be fair to the Government, it has been constantly interacting with Anna Hazare and his associates. In fact, the Government has been so considerate that it accommodated 36 out of their proposed 40 points in the Lokpal Bill. That, possibly, is as far as any government can go without abdicating the authority that the people and the Constitution have conferred on it.
As the dangerous elements lurking in the shadows behind Anna Hazare and the circle of his friends try to inflame the masses with time-tested propaganda tactics (they have already released audio-cassettes of Anna Hazare), the rest of us have to think whether it is nationwide unrest and possible violence on our streets that we really want.
Let us keep it in mind that this is what the evil men lurking in the shadows want. They want violence and anarchy. They cannot wait till the general elections when they can get elected in sufficient numbers (if they really enjoy the support of the people) and amend the law.
Some of these people are inspired by the Arab Spring, which is quite inappropriate for the Indian Monsoon. To begin with, Manmohan Singh has not been ruling for four decades like the tyrants of Tunisia, Egypt and Libya. We have a system of peaceful transfer of power based on elections every five years. There is very little in common between India and the countries under the throes of Arab Spring. Hence, the analogy is not correct.
It is precisely for the reason that India is a democracy, demagoguery and rabble-rousing is absolutely uncalled for here. Our advice to Anna and Co: please wait for the elections and come to Parliament in large numbers to have your way. Till then, please have patience.

Muslim must not shun this historic movement against corruption if they aspire to play a role in the governance of the country.

Indian Muslims were feeling left out in this very historical debate as how to control corruption in public life and come up with an independent institution that can ensure free and unhindered prosecution of the corrupt.
For good or bad, the one person that has vowed to bell the cat, is a life long fighter against corruption. It did appear on the first day of his appearance in Jantar Mantar, that Hindutva elements had visibly cornered the entire movement. However, soon the other left liberal participants were able to convince Anna that if his movement has to succeed as a united voice of the people, he must shun politicians of all hues. The presence of people like Bhushan duo, Kiran Bedi at the top of the movement is assurance enough that Anna Movement can not be hijacked by the fascists and anarchists.
These are seasoned people and are connected fully with a mass
networking all over the country. Already there are occasions, where the crowd of protestors have booed BJP leaders out of their midst. That happened in Mumbai’s Azad Maidan. The independent line being followed by Anna Team has forced BJP to publicly announce its own separate strategy on Lok Pal bill. As it is, both Congress and BJP have common vested interest to keep all loopholes open to continue to milk the people during their rule for their own and their supporters’ enrichment. No politician will voluntarily agree to go under the kind of scrutiny and prosecution challenges that Anna’s Jan Lokpal bill seeks. If people have to succeed in forcing the political mafia to accept control over their decision in monetary and licensing affairs, only public’s united and aggressive protest can achieve the goal.
It is unfortunate that either Muslims have kept themselves out of the entire debate and protest movement or are being kept out, the first voice that is now on record coming from a Muslim organisation like Milli Council Secretary General’s, is steeped in Congress lingo. The old scare tactic with which Congress has always threatened Muslims, is no longer valid as there are any number of alternatives that are opening up. Muslims need not mortgage their fortunes with a Congress that has been directly responsible for hundreds of thousands of communal riots. Three generations of Muslims since independence have been the most unfortunate victims of discrimination at all levels of their existence in supposedly secular democratic India.
All major Muslim organisations, Jamiatul Ulama, Muslim Mushawarat, Milli Council, are heavily indebted to Congress for their existence and continued relevance. They do not have any spine to free themselves from Congress yoke. It is for individuals in the community, to figure out, who is orchestrating the proclamations of these prominent Muslim organisations and what chances they hold for Muslims to advance towards a free, independent, dignified and effective role in the future of India, through the good offices of these Congress controlled Muslim organisations.
I would urge Muslims to keep an open mind on Anna Hazare’s movement and participate in his deliberations so that any historical changes that may come in the governance of India should have a deserving Muslim role in its institution and effective working. After all, Muslims did participate and sacrificed in the First Freedom Struggle.
Why shirk the challenges of a Second Freedom Struggle? We must
develop a longer term historical strategy to empower our community with full participation with our compatriots at all levels. This is not a time for isolationist or slavish response to the challenges the nation is going through. We must rise up to the challenges and join the mainstream.
The author is a Mumbai-based writer.