India’s independent, but Bharat’s still a mess

The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,

But I have promises to keep,

And miles to go before I sleep,

And miles to go before I sleep.

— Robert Frost

Another Inde­pendence Day has come, actually the 65th one, and as usual the nation has been served its regular dose of an inspiring speech by its prime minister. However, the questions remain about what it has done for the countrymen.

At least Manmohan Singh has shown enough sense in not bragging about 'India Shining' like his NDA predecessors and has been realistic in saying that true independence will come only when we “banish poverty, illiteracy, hunger and backwardness”.

I wouldn't show the audacity to advise the economist on how to steer the economy through these turbulent times of Eurozone crisis, but I definitely know his team should do more to keep my food and fuel bills down.

True that poor monsoons have played truant so far and it will impact the food stocks. But that doesn't justify close to 40 per cent of foodgrains rotting away due to lack of storage infrastructure. Unless this massive hole is plugged, the effect of all subsidies and special packages will be negated.

While rapid economic growth is being encouraged, little is being done to check the irreversible damage it is doing to the ecology and the people. Special Economic Zones on farmland; hydel projects drowning swathes of forest; toxic emissions that pollute and the millions who are displaced, deprived of dignity and condemned to lives of penury. Those who champion people's causes and come to power turn even worse oppressors and exploiters.

Corruption is endemic. Central ministers to office attendants in villages; Generals to traffic cops; judiciary, bureaucrats, doctors and scientists... there is no end to the list. And, of course, the 'enterprising' politicians who turn multi-billionaires in few years by 'serving the people'. Anti-corruption crusaders have fallen to the lure of political power and a 'guru' with dubious credentials is hogging the limelight.

Society is in tatters. Caste system continues to condemn hundreds of millions to sub-human conditions. Caste kangaroo courts run their writ of murders, gangrapes and ostracism campaigns, and the official machinery only pays lip service to protection of human rights. Reservations that were instituted to promote integration have turned into a major divisive factor. Sex crimes against women and minors are skyrocketing while thousands of female foetuses are killed through selective abortion. Manual scavenging continues and a majority of villages still don't have toilets. Unless these fundamental issues are resolved, whatever progress we claim to make will remain tall claims.

The GDP share for healthcare remains dismal and social security a distant dream. Dozens of key legislations including Women's Reservation Bill, Lokpal Bill and Whistleblowers Bill have not been passed as politicians continue to squabble and waste the time of Parliament.

Security remains a major concern. A substantial part of the country is literally under Maoist control and separatist insurgencies continue to take toll on lives in several states. The latest spell of violence in Assam shows fundamental flaws are yet to be rectified. Terrorist attacks continue across the country even as plan after plan and agency after agency are announced to tackle the menace.

All we ask of the leaders of this country is to show some real commitment to the original purpose for which the people put their faith in them and the institution of democracy.

(This article was published as the editorial column in Postnoon on August 15, 2012)

How the lights went out on Anna Hazare

In contrast to the massive support he received for his first two fasts for a strong Lokpal, there are hardly any crowds at Anna Hazare’s fast venue in Mumbai. The parallel fast by his core team in Delhi could barely muster 1,000 people. In Hyderabad it was even worse with hardly 100 showing up.
What went wrong with the strategy of the man whose name became synonymous with anti-graft movement and inspired people to sport ‘Anna is India’ caps and T shirts?
From a flower seller at Dadar station who organised people against thuggery of land sh­a­rks to the patriot volunteer to the army in the aftermath of the 1962 war and the eventual metamorphosis into a social activist, Kisan Hazare has come a long way to become the towering beacon of hope for millions who had almost given up on the fight against corruption.
However, somewhere down the path the Gandhian deviated from the target and went on a bashing spree on anyone and anything political that fell foul of him — the Congress and its allies emerged as his favourite targets.
His core team, whose nom de guerre is Team Anna, was seen manipulating public su­pport for the veteran activist to promote their personal agendas. Theatrics of Kiran ‘çrane’ Bedi may have entertained crowds at Ramlila, but little did the former top cop realise how close she was to the class she was trying to ridicule.
If it was the CD controversy that dogged the Bhushans, inflated air travel bills came as a major embarrassment for Bedi. Arvind Kejriwal lost face when he was pulled up by the I-T department over unpaid dues; Santosh Hegde, the man with impressive credentials as Karnataka Lokayukta, pulled out of the team; and Swami Agnivesh was ‘expelled’ for ‘colluding’ with the government. The halo that shined bright once has vanished.
With Anna going into overdrive attacking the Congress and even resorting to political campaigning against it in bypolls, the Gandhian was reduced to a Sangh Parivar instrument — something that cost his credibility and popularity dearly.
Another factor that Anna and his team underestimated is the public support for the politicians they elected to Parliament. Arm-twisting a democratically elected body to satisfy their whims and fancies may fetch an initial round of applause, but will not suffice to ensure constant support.
When pundits list the severe winter and holiday season as the reasons for the sparse attendance at the latest fast, they are indirectly acknowledging that the public is willing to give their elected representatives time to sort things out — something that India Against Corruption has overlooked.
With all due respect to Hazare and his noble intentions, it remains undisputed that the movement is destined to collapse from within when one man and his coterie are trying to steamroll all opposition and hold a country with a million divergent voices to ransom through emotional blackmail.
The blind opposition to government’s Lokpal Bill without waiting to assess its performance looks more like an ego issue than an argument based in logic.
A Lokpal at the Centre and Lokayuktas at state-level, bolstered with extensive legal reforms to plug existing loopholes, are essential for the anti-graft legislation to work effectively.
Polity has a way of educating leaders, even the most battle hardened one. Anna has made a wise choice by calling off his fast and jail bharo movement.
Anna should show some patience. Isn’t that an inseparable part of the Gandhian approach?