Populist Movement: A New Beginning?

The last few days of frenzied and frenetic activity surrounding the anti-corruption movement has paved the way for a monumental and momentous milepost in the history of India. As a bill to effectively tackle corruption in the corridors of power and bureaucracy, the Lokpal bill had been the bone of contention for the past 43 years. Since the time it was first tabled in 1968, there had been differences of opinion on what the bill should be and whom all it should bring under purview. Not anymore!

By a rare case of solidarity unanimously displayed by the members of both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, the two houses of the Parliament, to endorse the three key ideas that social activist Anna Hazare had insisted be included in the draft of Lokpal Bill, and by passing a resolution by the traditional thumping of desks, the event has successfully reaffirmed our faith in the nation's core democratic principles.

Looking back, this movement can be perceived as an offshoot of the common man's aspirations channeled under the leadership of Mr. Anna Hazare, who audaciously raised his voice against a set up that has become so profligate and corrupt. After loads of prevarications and accusations exchanged between government and Team Anna, the members of the Parliament convened yesterday to debate the Jan Lokpal Bill and its points of dissent: 

>> The inclusion of the lower bureaucracy, 
>> The appointment of Lokayukta's in each state, and 
>> Setting up a Citizen's Charter (a time-based grievance redressal system for the people)

Other conditions like including the Prime Minister under the purview of the bill, were met earlier by the government in a bid to appease Team Anna and make Mr. Hazare call off his fast. Since all the parties were against the inclusion of Judiciary under Lokpal as it would compromise the independence of one vital pillar of democracy, it was decided to address judicial corruption through a Judicial Accountability Bill, which Team Anna acceded to later.

The PM's earnest and emotional appeal to Team Anna that it would discuss all the versions of the Lokpal bill broke the ice and the tough stance both sides had taken. When a series of discussions and all-party meetings happened thenceforth without much result, Team Anna asked the Parliament to pass a 'Sense of the House' resolution on the bill and its contents on a weekend (the resolution was voted in a special session convened on a Saturday to address this) instead of their earlier demand to get the bill passed by August 30.

Yesterday's parliamentary proceedings brought about great breakthroughs; they gave a rare glimpse of what constructive discussions can achieve instead of haggling and bickering against each other. It, in fact reminded me of an incident that happened last Tuesday. The White House Senate carried out its proceedings outside the Capitol building in the wake of a surprise earthquake in the DC area. (If only the Indian Parliament functioned like this!) I really wish the Indian Parliamentarians weren't so feckless and hope they understand the people's needs and serve them well.

Laying the foundation to this bill underscored several facts. First, the elected MP's have undeniably, realized the power of the people. It's high time they recognized that in a democracy the ultimate power rests with the people and they have been elected to serve them and not misuse the privileges granted to them.

Yesterday's extraordinary debates preceding the motions related to corruption reflected the common man's thoughts and angst. Sushma Swaraj, the opposition leader raised some hard-hitting and pertinent points explaining how the various scams uncovered last year (the 2G Spectrum and the Commonwealth Games graft) precipitated the need for a strong Lokpal bill and helped gather momentum for this cause. She also added that high inflation, stashing of crores of Rupees in foreign banks have led to the people's eroding confidence in the government. Let's hope such effective and critical discussions happen more often from now.

Third, the contributions of print, television and social media have been immense. It was indeed through these means that people from all over the nation connected, expressed their opinions and imparted the much needed support to this cause. Last, and most important of all, it showed what truly a democratic nation like ours can achieve. It proved that our strong constitutional foundations have been the biggest enablers of this non-violent form of agitation. There is no denying the fact that the right to freedom of expression has been instrumental in bringing about this change.

But some valid questions do rise; after all, there's always the other side. If the government was serious about bringing about a strong Lokpal bill, they could have tabled the same on August 4 with all these clauses included. In fact, they could have agreed to including all these points right in the month of June, when the discussions began, instead of voicing against it. A few went to the needless extent of questioning the credibility of Mr. Hazare himself. These dubious acts of delay and protraction led the people to doubt the government's intention to fight against the issue. Had it tabled an effective bill, it could have obviated the need for Anna Hazare to go on fast and all the drama that ensued, and thus could have gained more credibility.

On the other hand, Mr. Anna Hazare has now been admitted to a hospital, after breaking his fast today at 10:30 am, after almost 288 hours - a record 12+ days. In an address to the thousands gathered at Ramlila Maidan before his departure, he has pushed for electoral reforms as his next agenda. While I sincerely admire his non-violent form of protest to bring about changes in the country, I am very much against the nihilistic way in which he tries to achieve the goal. No body can dictate and command the Parliament. As former Lokayukta chief Mr. Santhosh Hedge said: We can take the horse to the water, but we can't make the horse drink the water.

Just imagine if people start such similar agitations seeking to get their demands passed as law within a stipulated time, it really becomes a threat to our constitutional principles. If one feels the Parliament is not doing its duty, the people have all the right to elect proper candidates to represent them. I really hope Mr. Hazare doesn't resort to such methods in his future endeavours. Team Anna member, Ms. Kiran Bedi also drew adverse attention by her theatrics on the Ramlila stage and was criticized for mocking MP's. It might be recalled that she had coined the slogan 'Anna is India and India is Anna', a statement which the other members subsequently dissociated themselves from. All these acts questioned their real-motives behind the movement. There were also reports of rift in Team Anna's group when Swami Agnivesh distanced himself from the movement questioning Anna's adamant stance.

To sum up, no doubt there were some unpleasant mishaps from both sides, but the entire crusade is a triumph for Anna Hazare, his team, the people and at large for the Democracy itself. But behold, this is not the end, it's just the beginning. Whatever be it, the movement has reiterated one important fact: if we want change, try to change ourselves and fight for it to to happen. Cribbing about the state of affairs will not work.