Anna Hazare a man with a military background, belonging to Maharashtra- a person lesser known in India before, a veteran activist and is unknowingly called a Gandhian by some. Since centuries India has been a country of tragedies, and this is another tragedy for India. Anna Hazare isn’t known for his own standings but for a skull-cap, simple methods of Dharna’s and hunger strikes -ways earlier used by Mahatma Gandhi.
As far as my understanding goes- Mahatma Gandhi was against any of isms, identity pontifications; and would be the last person who would like to see any Gandhian do this, this is why he named his own autobiography as “An Experiment With Truth”. It would take another century for India and Indian intellectual mass (if that exists) to debate on this topic. How come Gandhi ji was experimenting with truth? Why wouldn’t he choose to just live with it? Either he hadn’t known what the truth is or he wanted to see if the truth that he knew would work on him or not? There is no need to read his autobiography if one understands only the title of it. This is enough to understand Gandhi ji and his idea of life.
According to me the worst day was when media started to pull the strings while Anna Hazare ji was on hunger strike and lamented him as a Gandhian, the worst part of the news was not over here, and Annaji did not even come to seek a refuge from this Gandhian title and embark on a journey of only Anna Hazare. His supporters liked, as they wanted to create a status of him, they wanted to see him as somebody else other than what he is. This also is another irony of this movement that people have been looking for somebody whom they too don’t know.
Indian anti corruption movement has been a brutal movement for a nation like India, initially it was sought to be a non-political alliance which eventually turned out as totally political.
It started with anti corruption and in the last one year, turned anti congress, this is where it is also loosing values and paving a way for another frustration in Indian minds which can be easily heard that –‘nothing can work in this country, and corruption will never ever leave the system.
Any social movement needs to have three basics, one of them is to not indulge in politics, which means not to indulge in party politics, people-centric approach and individual shoot out. This movement has missed all of them; they have gone in public criticizing individuals instead of their posts or chairs, they have criticized Mr. Manmohan Singh, not the Prime Minister. They have criticized Mrs. Sonia Gandhi, not the UPA chairperson and congress President; they have not brought up the constitutional limitations and Indian structural problems while fighting for corruption issues.
The second important basic of any social movement is to not necessarily limit itself only to Dharnas and rhetoric speeches but leaders also have to initiate some practical action on behalf of it. It is noticeable that Gandhi ji did not only ask for Freedom but he embarked on Dandiyatra the famous Salt march. DandiMarch not only unified India and Indians against British Raj but also helped to understand what freedom meant, it gave a strong support to the mindset of every Indian that things are possible. It created a positive attitude among the marchers. Anti corruption movement has not taken any single stream of Indian system where they could dig a hole and unite Indians against ways of systematic corruption. They’ve hit on the national stage but corruption still finds the way. One of the basics that Gandhi ji had learned about the mind and mentality is that unless people are ready to wear freedom on their sleeves they will be slaves if not on Firangis then Indian bosses. Anti corruption leaders have to understand that laws alone will not forbid the bribes, but a better management is the need of the hour and also that people must not be ready to pay bribes.
The third most important in any social movement is to understand and limit opportunists since they take movement as granted, hold a center theme making it become a menace to organize. Anna Hazare movement has become a place for opportunists, every time stages are full of them but yet the team fails to notice it.
What is the future of Anna movement? Apart from their weekend rallies and media bites and relays of the event?
Of course Congress party will have to pay for it, it is not about Anna Hazare and team Anna, public is angry against the congress’s weakness, days after days and week after week corruption cases have been coming, Indian citizens are feeling quite taken by and wary of Congress rule. This is the best time for Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) but they are busy with their internal mess which is going to take another dig in their seats in the coming general elections. The regional parties are taking grand status now and they will be the beneficiaries of anti corruption movement that has turned anti congress. This will hold India for another cruel game of coalition politics and regional parties; regional leaders will hold the rein of National interest. This is going to bring another hung parliament that will pave a way for weaker leader to hold PM’s chair and more corruption since everyone will know that they only have to be accountable for their regional goals and petty politics to keep them in power. This is not only going to harm India and her progress but also the anti corruption movement where a new law will be passed but it will be alike the many many laws that India has created to stop corruption, moreover it has helped for a better way of corruption.
To stop corruption in India, no movement or Law is needed instead it needs a clear conscience and strategic partnership with masses of society where people start to understand their rights and how to counter them. To erase the corruption from Indian minds people must be close-knitted to each other, and not be opportunistic in daily life- where to get a simple train ticket, one is ready to pay any amount of money to touts who can get them ticket in return.
If Anna Hazare can make us all understand this then corruption is going to be a scene of the past, if not then it will live as long as India and Indian future are on this planet.
Corruption does not come with the laws that we have neither will it go by making new laws that a mass of society wants to have, but it ends when we know a few very simple things of life which is about caring for others and sticking to our rights and when some particular sticks to it, everyone else will support him.
A mass around a leader with skull-cap is not going to change India, to change India we need people who can stand up for their rights that is valued in the eyes of any free citizen of this country and everyone will support them. Facebook campaign’s can help to build audience but to act on it needs courageous ones to face the corrupts and corruption.
#India #Annahazare
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