A defining moment in history

The dust and the heat has subsided and so one can look with some clarity and calm at the events that unfolded-Unprecedented crowds waved the tricolour-that made the heart throb-to see waves and waves of tricolour for a purpose being waved.It was symbolic that Indians have matured politically.They cannot be taken for a ride anymore-the middle class came out of their indifference and took to the roads-it was Anna,Anna all the way. In  schools in Vadodara the children fasted for one day This is a moment in history which defines the course of events to follow.

Articles have come-I have read two good ones one by Jaithirtha Rao

‘Erring on the side of good sense (IE 29th Aug) the other by Gururmurth’Anna stir a balance sheet’ More will follow I am sure and it is good to put down one’s thinking.

What struck me hard was how the Parliamentarians were quick to safeguard their ‘rights’ and this means their right to bribe and to sully-nay violate the very forum of Parliament. How can they hide behind Art105(2) to go scot free in taking bribes to vote and to speak? They stoutly opposed any move to bring in their actions within Parliament under the Lokpal bill. Similarly whether the Lokpal should have powers to transfer, suspend or even remove officers guilty of wrongdoing so that they do not influence the process of investigation was again opposed by the MPs that it clashed with Art 311 and 320(3)(C)Naturally they were against the removal of ministers because this clashed with Art 75.So what the MPs are holding out is that they must be immune to action against them and for this they hold out the Constitution.

It must be remembered that the Constitution is for the people and for good governance and not the other way round. The people and good governance cannot be sacrifice to uphold a Constitution-change the Constitution-amend it, attune it to the changes and the demands of the time. Surely the Founding Fathers would not have envisaged criminals to become MPs. They would have then put in a clause that such should be taken to the open grounds by the people and shot down. The powers of the MPs flow from the people-the sovereignty of the Parliament is not created in abstract or from a vacuum but from the power of the people. The Parliament must and is obliged to uphold the wishes of the people-to articulate their aspirations and hopes and accordingly function. It is not to uphold the wrong doings of the MPs and a Parliament that does not reflect the wishes of the people has lost its sovereignty. That’s what we witnessed and we will witness people’s power more in the coming days I am sure and hopeful of.

Is it not for the MPs to say that their deeds and misdeeds have a blanket covering and cannot be scrutinize by the people who elected them? It is nonsensical for former Speakers and MPs to talk about the sanctity of Parliament when they have violated that sanctity. When at least 105 criminals are sitting as MPs where is the sanctity of the Parliament. It is also illogical to state that the people who sent them as their representatives have no voice and authority to question their deeds within Parliament. This is defeating the very spirit of democracy. It looked ridiculous how MP after MP stood up to ridicule Anna and to robustly defend their powers and uphold the sanctity of Parliament.We the people are thoroughly ashamed of such MPs-through hood and crook –through money power-their get themselves elected to the Parliament to safeguard their own vested interest and begin the loot. How many of our Parliamentarians would pass a rigorous test of honestly in functioning, honesty in governance and show clean hands? It is a shame on India and they still want to loot the people. Heir time  of reckoning has come

But then first let us examine if we really have democracy when the MPs, ministers and the PM were so closely guarding something which we do not have. Hence they blame Anna for undemocratic ways and strategies. Where is democracy and democratic norms. It all started from the day  when Mrs Sonia Gandhi made her renunciation democratic norms were throw to the wind.We have a nominated and handpicked Prime Minister.Is that democracy? Constitution was amended for representatives to be nominated in the Rajya Sabha from places where they did not live. Is this democracy? Why was the Rajya Sabha created? So we have a PM with a house rented in Assam and a ration card he holds to prove that he is a resident of Assam.Is this not defeating the spirit of democracy? We have an NAC which advises the PM-which drafts bills and has become a mini parliament presided by Mrs Sonia Gandhi. Who should advise the PM-what is the council of ministers then for?We have for every issue a panel/committee and a commission. What is the task then of the Parliament. ?It is not parliamentary democracy by a panel raj. Who is the head of the government-not the Prime Minister but Mrs Sonia Gandhi who orders and rules from No 10 Janpath road. From the moment she entered into active politics democracy died. She became a super/extra constitutional power and the PM a puppet. Is this democracy? Now people are wailing and weeping that they missed Sonia Gandhi who would have tackled the Anna episode better. I am sure she would not have succeeded- Because she is the root cause of everything.

And that everything is the augmentation of corruption. Corruption on an unprecedented scale at the highest echelons of the government. She looked down on people with begging bowls and talked of food security and wanted strategies on how to throw a few more crumbs into their bowls while the country was looted. There are any number of articles saying that the most powerful woman is the most corrupt and so it is to a nation which sees her as the mother head of corruption and all that is wrong in democracy that her sycophants keep saying that Mrs Sonia Gandhi would have handled the Anna issue better. To get a cabinet position she formed the NAC and became its chairperson. At every step she belittled the authority of the PM. But that Manmohan Singh asked for it is another aspect. Why had he to be her humble subservient handmaid? India was inching slowly but steadily into becoming a banana republic-thanks to Mrs Sonia Gandhi.

So it is comical to fall back on democracy and watch the MPs hurriedly standing up with their wit and hollow words as champions of democracy and the Constitution.The fact remains that persons like Lalu Ptrasad Yadav against who cases are pending on his disproportionate assets naturally will not want a stringent Lok Pal .So these jokers stood up as champions of the Constitution to the mirth of the people who saw their wit and their jokes as nothing but a camouflage of their corruption.

Parliament cannot be forced and hastened to act was the chorus.But then Parliament did hasten things when it wanted. Jaithritha Roa in his article ‘Erring on the side of good sense’, has pinpointed two instances :when in 1985 PM-Rajiv Gandhi signed an accord with Sant Longowal who was not a minister .To bring peace to Punjab Rajiv Gandhi overlooked the approval of Parliament and the Standing committee and his own cabinet. Rajiv Gandhi signed another accord with the All Assam Students Union which represented no government and no political party. So there are precedents established by the Congress. Another glaring unconstitutional and break of tradition was when President Zail Singh swore in Rajiv Gandhi as Prime Minister even when he was not a minister. There was no sanction from the parliamentary party. So if these things could have been done why does the Congress and the Parliamentarians first question who Anna Hazare is and why the civil society pressurizes Parliament and resorts to undemocratic ways? May be Kapil Sibal, P.Chidambaram,Lalu Prasad Yadav  and Rahul Gandhi should read up history of  our democracy and its unfolding at various periods.

Coming to Rahul Gandhi: somehow the very fact that the Speaker allowed the MP to use the zero hour to read out a draft of three pages does not auger well for upholding parliamentary y norms.Would the Speaker had given such permission to someone else?

So when Rahul Gandhi stood up at the zero hour he already created a feeling of animosity-thanks to the Speaker. But then his long treatise did not go down well because he was silent all these days, because the Gandhi family was silent all these days and is seen as being at the root of all that went wrong with democracy. And to say that one Lokpal is not enough was laughable. To make it similar to the Election Commission is not very encouraging because the EC members are nominated by the political class and look at the case of Naveen Chawla.The same is for all our investigation agencies-they are subservient and used by the ruling class for their own vested interest. So Rahul Gandhi making his sermon did not click. A dirty hand cannot speak of abolishing corruption and will not be seen as a clean wiper. Rahul Gandhi is projected as the youth icon and assess what he has achieved in his 41 years? Everything has been given to him-his position as the General Secretary of the Congress did not come to him because he put in hard work. He has to think long before he speaks and when he speaks he reads a draft. He has the red carpet spread-can walk into the PMO and demand that the NREGP to be expanded-can any other MP do that? So RG is seen as one who is pampered and who has lost touch with the travails of the people. Does he have to bribe anyone to get anything? He has lost touch with the people-nay with India.Mrs Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi has become irrelevant in today’s India . It is time they realized this hard truth.

Finally corruption is all pervading. It is not limited to land and mining as stated by Rahul Gandhi.Land and mining are only the natural rich sources which the political class misuses to throw up corruption. Corruption cuts across caste, class, rich and poor There was an attempt to bring in majority/ minority in the corruption issue I know a number of cases of corruption indulged by the minority-by the learned and the ignorant, by the religious and the irreligious. For each category I can cite instances. But the inability to arrest corruption by the Prime Minister, his silence, his inability to intervene is also corruption. One need not assess the assets but his functioning did abet corruption. So in corruption there is a wide range- of direct players and silent players who by their silence are guilty and this is one reason why the Prime Minister must come under the ambit of the Lok Pal.

The value of honesty seems to have disappeared. Money power and muscle power counts-with these two statuses can be acquired-.Hence there should be a conversion of human minds towards the value of honesty. To give bribe and to take a bribe is equally corrupt. Anna revolution must echo in each and every Indian heart to make a resolution to adhere to the value of honesty no matter how hard, no matter the cost. The Political class then can be tackled!

Dr Hilda Raja
Vadodara