1:24 AM
...this time the movement is for freedom from CORRUPTION!
This was the last thing anyone could have imagined just a few days ago, when a wiry 71 year old man started a fast to death with a demand to the government for tackling corruption.
On day 3 of his fast, Anna Hazare has been the spark that has caused 100s to join in his fast to death and 1000s to gather daily in JantarMantar, Delhi (and many more across other cities). A movement has started, the media is abuzz and the Congress government is almost on its needs having conceded 3 points of the demands about the Lokpal bill. It is expected to give in to the other points by the end of the week! India may finally have a chance at rooting-out corruption!
Whats happening?
The Lokpal bill (which is meant to have measures for detecting and stopping corruption) has been raised in parliament 7 times in various forms since 1947 but has not been passed. The current version bought out by the government's GOM (group of ministers who are themselves corrupt) is completely toothless and an eyewash as it is just a distraction following the scams exposes to the tune of 1000s of crores of rupees the last 2 years.
Instead, led by the most respected Justice Santosh Hegde (who already heads the Lokpak in Karnataka and is doing an incredible job there tackling corruption head on), a unique Jan Lokpal bill is being proposed which has complete powers to detect and prosecute corruption in both government offices as well as ministries.
For me, even if we don't kill corruption, just getting people to talk about it like a problem that can be resolved and maybe do a little is a great thing.
And its such an electrifying feeling when such a pure fire burns so strongly in an otherwise dead India where we accept every frustration as a way of life. All the more that a large majority of the response on the streets are from educated middle-class working youth we write off as purely money-minded - they have given up pay to come out. The various
After Tunisia, Egypt, Bahrain and Libya, it is finally the turn of the Indian people to rise up and fight against oppression.
Go India GO!
This was the last thing anyone could have imagined just a few days ago, when a wiry 71 year old man started a fast to death with a demand to the government for tackling corruption.
On day 3 of his fast, Anna Hazare has been the spark that has caused 100s to join in his fast to death and 1000s to gather daily in JantarMantar, Delhi (and many more across other cities). A movement has started, the media is abuzz and the Congress government is almost on its needs having conceded 3 points of the demands about the Lokpal bill. It is expected to give in to the other points by the end of the week! India may finally have a chance at rooting-out corruption!
Whats happening?
The Lokpal bill (which is meant to have measures for detecting and stopping corruption) has been raised in parliament 7 times in various forms since 1947 but has not been passed. The current version bought out by the government's GOM (group of ministers who are themselves corrupt) is completely toothless and an eyewash as it is just a distraction following the scams exposes to the tune of 1000s of crores of rupees the last 2 years.
Instead, led by the most respected Justice Santosh Hegde (who already heads the Lokpak in Karnataka and is doing an incredible job there tackling corruption head on), a unique Jan Lokpal bill is being proposed which has complete powers to detect and prosecute corruption in both government offices as well as ministries.
For me, even if we don't kill corruption, just getting people to talk about it like a problem that can be resolved and maybe do a little is a great thing.
And its such an electrifying feeling when such a pure fire burns so strongly in an otherwise dead India where we accept every frustration as a way of life. All the more that a large majority of the response on the streets are from educated middle-class working youth we write off as purely money-minded - they have given up pay to come out. The various
After Tunisia, Egypt, Bahrain and Libya, it is finally the turn of the Indian people to rise up and fight against oppression.
Go India GO!