Jan Lokpal- A Swayed Reality
India, the largest democracy in the world, ends up again and again electing feudal politicians, criminals as their Representatives who in turn suffocate their electorate with their acts of corruption. If not elect them at least perpetuate them as its potential leaders. So, one wonders! Why the country have to decry corruption. Sure, the same corrupt leaders irrespective of their parties will be elected if not this time, next time. So, is this act of agitation a logical one? India fights against an evil that it perpetuates.
For the past few days (months), in the country there has been an inflation of crowds, at Ramlila grounds in Delhi and at certain other parts of the country agitating in support of Anna Hazare to pass Jan Lokpal bill as a law. It's been construed as popular demand. Surely, a demand not by people but by mobs who are hysterical. Mobs really don’t represent public opinion. It is interesting to note while in some parts of country people rage against corruption, in another part of the country, in Andhra Pradesh Mr. Y. S.Jagan Mohan Reddy, son of Former Chief Minister, Y. S. Rajashekar Reddy (late), in spite of he being an accused in large scale corruption, won as Member of Parliament in the recent bye election with a record majority of more than 5 lac votes. Even, as CBI investigation is on against his illegal appropriation of wealth, crowds are thronging for his political meetings and more so 29 MLAs and 2 MPs resigned in support of him, decrying a foul play, when Andhra Pradesh High Court instructed CBI to inquire into his amassing of wealth. How do we understand this phenomenon? Are those fighting against corruption are really against corruption? Answer would be no. The mob follow up is just because of their convenient subjective reasons. Here while the subjectivity of middle class Hindutva force is masked, the cause of anti- corruption is on the surface. The movement is led by Right wing groups, though denied(BJP to launch nationwide stir on August 25, The Hindu, 21/08/11; RSS lending support to Anna's campaign?, http://ibnlive.in.com/news/rss-lending-support-to-annas-campaign/177467-3.html) to come back to power to alter and curtail constitutional privileges and rights of citizens and set in Manu influenced anarchy. How, spiritual gurus like Baba Ramdev and Ravishankar are part of the movement, who actually cater to the middle class, upper middle and rich Hindus by neglecting social equanimity and equality. Do we need more proof than this to say that the movement is led by an exclusive group, in which Muslims, Buddhists, Sikhs, Christians and Dalits have no share and no say.
Lokpal bill unfortunately envisaged by civil society is spearheaded by people of only Northern and Western part of India. This is an expression of hegemony of North and West. In the Eastern and Southern parts, Lokpal failed to be a crowd puller. Though this agitation brought in certain awareness against corruption, most of the people don't own the issue of Lokpal rather they wonder at the issue. Absolutely, nothing is heard from North East in support of Lokpal. Does it communicate, that they don’t share the issues of Delhi? Does it mean to say people from these regions are not corrupt and more reasonable?
Without actually dealing with the reasons for corruption, the present agitation considered to be the 'Second Freedom' struggle, going much against the Spirit of Freedom and Indian Constitution. As if it were not enough, an autocratic demand for another draconian law, instead of dealing with undemocratic caste system, looting of natural resources which displace and dehumanize millions of Adivasis seems that the so called civil society members in this garb trying to perpetuate hegemonic ladder styled caste system even in this globalized world. Lokpal bill if passed as law, what is the guarantee that it would eradicate Corruption. Presently, Constitution offers several checks and balances to fight corruption. If still corruption is rampant, it is not the problem with Constitution or inefficiency of laws, but rather with those who violate the laws. There is no law that can absolutely guarantee human behaviour. Even if Jan Lokpal comes as law, what is the guarantee that right people are appointed? Which Civil society appoints them, who are those members in that civil society? There is every danger of Right wing officials being infiltrated in to the Lokpal, which in turn can antagonize Dalits, Adivasis and Minorities. So, Lokpal cannot be a permanent solution for the problem of corruption.
Media, not looking into the consequences of Lokpal, just acted in to the hands of Team Anna. It didn't highlight or discuss the corruption; rather it simply covered the swelling of crowds. It never made an attempt to tell people, how remote villagers- Dalits, Adivasis, Backward Caste people and Minorities look at Jan Lokpal leave alone seeking for their consensus and support. For the last one week people have been diverted by Media from other the issues of India.
It's conspicuous for Anna Hazare to be called Second Gandhi! Why not Second Ambedkar the Father of Indian Constitution or Second Jayaprakash Narayan who after the emergency enlightened Indians through his Total Revolution? Middle Class conveniently appropriated Gandhi as their icon since he upholds conventional world view towards social inequality which in turn guarantees their hegemony and perpetuates the deep rooted caste system. When the backdrop of agitation- RSS's ‘Bharatmata’, at Ramlila grounds was critiqued, immediately was replaced with Gandhi's backdrop. Why only Gandhi's? Why not it be shared with Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, crusader for social equality and chairman of the Drafting Committee of Indian Constitution,or with Jayapraksh Narayan, one man that India would never forget for his war against corruption through his “Total Revolution”. (Total Revolution, which was more honest than Jan Lokpal changed only the hand of power and also changed the hands of corruption. So, will happen with Jan Lokpal). Dr. B. R. Ambedkar is neglected to show insufficiency and ineffectiveness of Constitutional laws. So, they create a need for the Indian Constitution to be tampered. Jayapraksh Narayan is kept aside as their agitation is not really a fight-against corruption, but to postulate middle class dominance. No wonder, Anna team never even made a mention of Former Chief Ministers from South, Kamaraj Nadar and Anna Durai, for their Anti-brahmin-dravidian ideology, though they were icons of honesty and transparency. may be another sign of Northern hegemony.
Indian movie expereince manifests, Indain masses always look for messiah figures on screen and offscreen. Those figures have been mythified and venerated. There is a certiain sociological need for 'super heroes' in the lives of Indians. Often living persons are iconised and been created into mythological persons. Anna is one such example- “Anna is India and India is Anna”, a man who was never on a national scene, fighting against any serious national issues, suddenly appears and becomes a 'hero'. Danger with 'hero worship' is two sided- “assumed leadership and assumed obedience”, on one side, consensus is not sought on the other side, utter obedience make their hero “speechless”. So, Ambedkar rigtly said “Hero worship is a sure road to degradation and eventual dictatorship”.
It's also contradicting for Anna Hazare's method to be called Gandhian. If Gandhiji were to be alive, he wouldn't have demanded for yet another draconian laws to curb corruption, for he would know those laws can easily be manipulated and become futile, but would use “Truthfulness”, a weapon through which he won us Independence. Even his Gandhian method fast unto death earned him a criticism of being forceful, violent and anarchical, as he demanded the bill to be passed before before 31 of August. Lokpal is quite a complicated a bill to be passed under threat and unresonalble deadlines. All the aspects of the Bill to be discussecd with expteme care and consensus among all sections. So, a method of mass mobilasation through legal methods, method of advocay, through disccussion and lobbying can be followed.
We find this agitation led by Anna Hazare, followed by multitudes to be Political and Accusational, Pointing at Somebody as corrupt, especially pointing at Politicians, Bureaucrats and Public Servants. But, when we reflect we find ourselves also to be Corrupt. It is always said “bigger fish should be caught”, but then, there cannot be bigger fish without smaller fish. So, change is required not just in 'Somebody', but also in us. What can actually deter us from being corrupt are not just Draconian Laws, but being Truthful. Being 'Truthful', ofcourse a long journey helps us to rectify and transform ourselves towards Honesty and Transparency, this journey may result in making the powerful 'Truthful' and 'Truthful' Powerful. It is this journey that helps us vote out, if not corruption but surely the corrupt.
B. J. Shailendra S. J
