Anna Hazzare... Hit them where it hurts hard...

Dear Mr. Anna Hazzare...

We had been looking for able leaders for decades now and everytime people whom we trusted have not failed to betray us. This country has a leadership crisis. How many people do you think will come in if Sonia Gandhi, Manmohan Singh or Advani calls for a fast tomorrow. 

There are very few men to whose voice the nation will rise as one. It will be a shame if they dont become leaders. It will be more shameful if these men were to loose to some third rated politicians because today all these bastards have joined together as they understood the perils of having a strong civil society. It is time to hit them where it hurts hard... it is time to speak in a language only which they will understand... it is time for politics.

For the first time politicans who have been behaving as if they are not accountable to anyone have shivered seeing this uprising. But they take peace from the fact that we dont have a choice but to choose from only a list of thieves. They have an unsigned pact wherein each of them will take turns to loot for five years and we have been given the mandate to elect who will loot us for next five years.

If you dream of a strong Lokpal to build a strong India than you dreams will remain dreams. Look at the people who are waiting in the wings to rule this country. Do you belive these are the jokers who have the leadership capabilities to take our nation forward. 

For the first time the country has seen people who have been saying "nothing can be done here" hit upon the street wanting to do something they rightly deserve. There has been something that you have been able to arouse in the common man who otherwise is very much happy to live his 9 to 7 life. 

We deserve better leaders and I dont see anyone in the nearest horizon. Maybe the time has come to groom a new set of leaders to take this country forward. It is time to give people more choice as to who needs to rule this country. In thousands they came with a dream and now dont let them experience the pain of someone snatching their dreams away.  I have been praying for long that this should not become a political movement but remain a strong civil society, but now I fear the dangers of, if it does not. Who will be the leader of these ignited minds who have taken upon the street today?

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Men who live on Air, Water and Vandhe Mataram...

As Anna Hazare's health was declared worrying by doctors my immediate concern were with the people who were fasting at LB road Adyar, Chennai for the past 8 days. I immediately went there, it was well past 9 pm but each of the volunteers were going through their job and people were still trickling in to have a glimpse of this movement that has caught the imagination of the world. Couple of girls who would have never picked brooms in their lifetime to clean even their houses were sweeping the entire premises and preparing the venue for the battle next day. These girls holding brooms are not those who make life out of this as a profession but some of the top notch MBA's and Engineers who have taken it upon themselves to sweep the epidemic of corruption.

I went in there and stood around observing. Seeing me standing alone couple of volunteers sitting next to me invited me to join them and one of them even went and got a chair for me. They were energetic bunch of guys and we were happily bantering about various things. It was only after half an hour or so I realized that few of these people were not just volunteers but men who had been fasting for the past 8 days along with Anna Hazare. Such was their energy level that it was tough to believe they have been living on just water for about 175 hours. My jaws just dropped... 

I could not resist myself anymore, I asked them how is it that they are so energetic even after having been on fast for so loong... That is when they said something beautiful "We derive energy from you people, we derive energy whenever we see so many people coming here supporting this fight against corruption, we derive energy from the volunteers here who have been taking care of us very well, we derive energy with each and every chant of Vandhe Mataram..." 

These people who came in as individuals totally unknown but today have become a family, they look after each other and take care of one another and derive strength from everyone around them. Such is the bonding that they have become one large family and also attract you to become a part of it. They were full of praise to the volunteers who ensure that every 30 minutes they are given water to drink and every two hours a medical checkup is done on them. A Sidha doctor hearing these people fasting came and checked the pulse of each and every one using the traditional nadi method, a reiki healer who came in and energized them with reiki, a yoga teacher who teaches them yoga and breathing techniques. They also said they were moved to see people older than their age come and massage their feet and head to relax and comfort them. People just come in and voluntarily pour in whatever bit and pieces of help they can do to help them.

It is not bed of roses out their for them, they have seen fellow fasters removed from the fasting arena due to dehydration, uneven blood pressure and sugar levels and some on suspiscion that their liver might be in danger if they continue fasting, but none of them showed any fear or concern about the danger that loomed large over them. The impasse and the lethargic response of the government has not made them weak but strong, their resolve grows stronger and stronger with every passing minute, these are warriors who are fighting for a cause they believe in and they dont seem to be the ones who are going to give up anytime soon.

They derive strength and courage from each one of us here who support them, make mockery of them or sit indifferently, because they have taken it upon themselves to fight for us too. People may have different opinion about the Lokpal bill but there can not be no two opinions about the honest intentions and spirit these men and women have displayed to wake up and shake up our conscience into a fight against corruption. I was proud to have spent couple of hours of my lifetime with this brave men and women who for the last 175 hours live on air, water and Vandhe Mataram.

Jai Hind.

 

P.S: In case you believe in their cause it will be wonderful if you can just send a sms congratulating them and encouraging them with your support... Name and number given in the image below...

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Arundhathi Roy - God of small things or small minds...

Dear Arundathi Roy,

I read your article http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/article2379704.ece and it left me puzzled... It at best looked like a cheap publicity stunt...

 ‎"Will the 830 million people living on Rs.20 a day really benefit from the strengthening of a set of policies that is impoverishing them and driving this country to civil war?"

What is the reason for these people to live on Rs.20 per day. Where does the billions of funds allocated for their upliftment go? "

You could say that the Maoists and the Jan Lokpal Bill have one thing in common — they both seek the overthrow of the Indian State. "

So if someone fights for a strong anti-corruption bill does it mean they seek to overthrow the state? 

"The 24-hour channels have decided that there is no other news in the country worth reporting.

"Why blame the media??? They are covering what the nation is voicing. Didnt the media give coverage to the causes you fought for, or is it because you didnt get the kind of coverage that Anna is getting. 

"Who is he really, this new saint, this Voice of the People? Oddly enough we've heard him say nothing about things of urgent concern. Nothing about the farmer's suicides in his neighbourhood, or about Operation Green Hunt further away. Nothing about Singur, Nandigram, Lalgarh, nothing about Posco, about farmer's agitations or the blight of SEZs. He doesn't seem to have a view about the Government's plans to deploy the Indian Army in the forests of Central India."

Why do you expect or want Anna Hazare to voice his concern for everything? 

"The Jan Lokpal Bill is a draconian, anti-corruption law, in which a panel of carefully chosen people will administer a giant bureaucracy, with thousands of employees, with the power to police everybody from the Prime Minister, the judiciary, members of Parliament, and all of the bureaucracy, down to the lowest government official. The Lokpal will have the powers of investigation, surveillance, and prosecution. Except for the fact that it won't have its own prisons, it will function as an independent administration, meant to counter the bloated, unaccountable, corrupt one that we already have. Two oligarchies, instead of just one."

How does having an independent anti-corruption body account to oligarchy?

There are many causes you have raised your voice for including separating Kashmir from India, India's Nuclear policy and even favored Naxals fight. While people respected you for whatever you fought in a peaceful manner irrespective of whether we agreed with you or not, why can't you give Anna the respect for a cause he is fighting against? Why do you want to sully his image?

Does God of small things have a small mind or has she been sold for small things.

 

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20 reasons why Anna Hazare is wrong?

1) For more than 40 years we have been discussing lokpal but now all of a sudden Anna Hazare wants to implement them. If you have waited 40 years for the constitution to work, why can't you wait for another 40 years?

2) Anna Hazare has not involved any politicians in this cause. Without the view of those who are domain experts in corruption how do you expect to bring a strong anti-corruption bill. You make enemies of people who will pass the bill and you expect them to pass it...

3) Political parties have found it tough to organize a rally even with 1000 ppl despite all food and fluids to offer, but Anna Hazare look at you... Suspect Foriegn hand, Left Hand, Right Hand, Left leg, Right Leg...

4) Anna Hazare alone cannot hijack the anti-corruption bill, there are so many other members of  civil society who will need a share in the pie, after all they also have been crusading for the last 40 years.

5) Anna Hazare is being equated to Gandhi, called God... As many theists exist, equal number of atheist exist so Anna Hazare is evil.

6) Anna Hazare is hijacking mindspace from other issues like Price rise, Poverty, Casteism, Electoral reforms, and even our cricket team look they just lost the status of Test champions. We need to fight all of them at one go and cant afford one at a time. Why dosent Anna Hazare?

7) You make a mockery of democracy and hold it to threat, when you demand work from those elected to work.For 65 years no one has dared to do so... How dare you now??? Kneel down before us, we are the constitution.

8) There cant be your way or my way option... You need to wait for up way, down way, his way, her way, their way, that way, sideway...

9)  I just want your followers to stop bribing before they demand a system. If you dont give bribe you dont need a system, see it is that simple.  While you may never get CWG contract or 2G spectrum license within a year or two you might be lucky to get a driving license. Let those who can afford to bribe give bribe and get their job done, what is your problem. 

10) Politics and government jobs will not be lucrative anymore leading to unemployment and underemployment problems.

11) Lokpal will not end corruption overnight, we will wait for the magic wand.

12) Strong law will not end corruption, we need stronger proper to implement it and we dont have strong people. Now dont start a fast demanding strong people. Please allow us to live with weak law and weak people, there are hundreds of other methods by which corruption can be tackled.

13) 60% of people who want Anna's lokpal bill dont know what it means. 99% of people who are against Anna's lokpal bill dont know what it means. Wait till everyone knows everything.

14) This is a media generate hype. Nowhere in the world had media covered an uprising and all news on media has got the same kind of response like yours!!! hence this is farce. Moreever this is a middle class phenomena, we will have to wait for response from upper class, lower class, upper lower class, lower lower class.

15) Anna Hazare dont be so stubborn in your stand, please make a compromise, compromise is not corruption...

16) You have got so much media and people foucs on you, you got a cult status, i dont care what you stand for, I dont care what you are fighting for, whom you are fighting for. There got to be something wrong about you.

17) You are wrong... You are wrong... You are wrong... This is not the right way... No I didnt mean you are completely wrong, just part of you is wrong. Give me some time to figure out which part of you is wrong and what is the right way to fight sorry beg for an anti-corruption bill.

18) Just because you live in 10x10 room, uplifted an entire village, fought for 40 years against corruption does not make you an expert. So what if Shanthi Bushan Law Minister, who first introduced the Lokpal bill in 1977 is part of your team.  I just googled and got all the answers

19) You want to record/televise the points of difference and sort it out. Dont you know the basic rule of corruption is not to leave a trace of what happened. We cant discuss steps against corruption with such an ignorant man. We are forming a standing committe, we dont want to be raped in public...

20) Mr.Anna Hazare last but not least "An independent anti-corruption agency in India means a parallel government." Dont you know government and corruption are synonyms.

The 22 point difference between Governments version of Lokpal bill and Anna Hazare's version of Lokpal bill and find for yourself who is wrong. http://2rams.posterous.com/lokpal-points-of-contention-between-anna-haza

 

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What is that it gives Anna Hazare the power to shake a government and bring it down to its knees?

What is that it gives Anna Hazare the power to shake a government and bring it down to its knees? Why is that people are flocking behind Anna Hazare and not Manmohan Singh and the government. 

This movement is being called the second struggle for independence and Anna Hazare the new Gandhi. Gandhi represented the collective consciousness of a generation fighting for free India and today Anna Hazare has touched the same chord with people who want a nation free from corruption. Great leaders are born, when they become the symbol of a generation. It is this ability to collectively represent a generation that gives them the power to bring the opposition to knees, be it the British government or the government elected by the citizens.

Today Anna Hazare is not just another individual fighting corruption but representative of a billion souls. It is the same guy who pays a bribe for violating a traffic rule who gives Anna the power to fight corruption because deep inside everyone there is an element of honesty and Anna Hazare has been able to connect with it, wake it up and give it a voice to fight.

Anna Hazare today represents the collective consciousness of people and when you try to crush Anna Hazare with all those stupid measures you are trying to crush the conscience of a nation. When you deny Anna Hazare the right to protest you are denying my right to protest, when you are arresting Anna Hazare you are arresting me because today "I am Anna Hazare". 

By showing a lack of intent to have a strong Lokpal bill the government has lost a golden opportunity to instill faith among people in the wake of succession of scams that had put the entire country to shame. Its childish attempts to kill this movement have naturally led to a question, unless you are corrupt why are you against a movement fighting corruption. What essentially began as a quest for a strong lokpal bill is slowly turing into a movement against the government and the current political set up, none except the government is to be blamed for this.  

I dont think it will be easy to throttle this movement, even if the government succesfully does this, the current regime will not only be considered as the most corrupt but also a tyranical one that scuttled a movement against corruption and further lose the faith of people. The government is succesfully distancing itself from common man, a dangerous precedent is being set. 

To all those who murmur why does not Anna Hazzare contest election and bring about change, let you be reminded that the current Prime Minister is not a directly elected representative but a member of Rajya Sabha. It is that difficult for Mr.Singh considered to be the most honest face in the Congress to win an election. So, while politicians are busy with politics let apolitical people without political intentions step forward to steer the nation in the right direction.

The government needs to ask itself how a 73 year old man who was unknown to many till 4 months back has been able to capture the imagination of a nation than a party which has been ruling for more than 50 years and a prime minister who has been representing us for the last seven years. Why is that people are able to associate themself with Anna Hazare and not Manmohan Singh? 

If this is a show of media how many issues projected by media have garnered this kind of support? Today Dridashtra is surrounded by Dridashtras to narrate this war against corruption. Why does not Rahul Gandhi who wants to associate with every people's movement come and see who these people coming in thousands to support Anna Hazare are. Personally to me it was a defining moment to see a 70 year old couple come and sit in for the protest, a 80 year old fragile man barely able to  walk coming in support of Anna Hazare, children with school bags shouting slogans against corruption. 

Read the governments version of Lokpal bill and Team Anna Hazare's version of Lokpal bill and you will know why the nation is behind Anna Hazare http://2rams.posterous.com/lokpal-points-of-contention-between-anna-haza. Anna Hazare has definitely shown more intent than the government in framing a strong law against corruption.  If this is the level of intelligence politicians who frame our constitution have, the supremacy of government in lawmaking needs to undergo radical changes. It is time people who are knowledgable and concerned about the country be given a greater role in framing the constitution. 

There is currently one man with a mission and a strategy to fight against corruption and the nation is united behind him. Lokpal may not be the solution to end corruption, but so was the salt sathyagraha movement. It is just a step that takes us close towards the end goal. There is only one way out for the government to come out of this mess i.e. to demonstrate something it currently lacks, HONEST intentions.

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Lokpal - Points of contention between Anna Hazare and Government...

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Points of contention between Government and Team Anna Hazare with respect to Lokpal. What is your opinion?

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