War against corruption in India

That India is one of the most corrupt countries is well known. Perhaps it ranks first in unaccounted-for money hidden in Swiss banks or in tax havens. After six decades of independence and phenomenal progress India has made in all spheres. [manufacturing, health care, science and technology, education etc]the country still has millions below the poverty line and shoddy infrastructure.

Corrupt politicians and the mafias they are linked to have ruined the country. The pervasive corruption in everyday life has reached such proportions that the life of an ordinary citizen has become a nightmare. In a sickening routine, each dawn witnesses a new scandal. Thanks to the free media and its hard-working staff, many scandals are exposed and publicized. Crafty politicians and greedy bureaucracy have every means available to destroy (and fabricate false evidence) and are geniuses at putting different spins on events and even getting away with it. Democracy is kidnapped.

But then a person arrived, Anna Hazare, who captured the imagination of her compatriots and a new phenomenon occurred. She is 71 years old and has a slim build, not a formidable personality from the looks of her. She couldn’t afford to complete her school and she had to drop out after only 8 years. She enrolled in the army as a driver, took part in India’s 1965 and 1971 wars with Pakistan and dedicated herself to improving the miserable situation of her hometown ‘Rale Gaon Sidhi’ thereafter. And he produced a miracle by turning his drought-stricken and poverty-stricken town into an oasis with adequate water year-round, greenery, and an abundance of food and other crafts. With tremendous persuasive power, he organized the villagers, made them abandon their lazy and indebted lifestyle, built small dams in the right places to catch any rain that fell. She never married, she gave the savings she had to the town. After 25 years, the village is self-sufficient and proudly talks about the revered Anna of her, who does not have a house of her own and stays in a temple.

But this was not the only thing he did. He declared war on corruption and organized several campaigns against some of the big names. The pressure he brought to bear on the government of his home state soon forced the resignation of as many as six cabinet ministers. He has used the same weapon that Mahatma Gandhi used, that of fasting. He achieved many successes.

Anna has been aware that it is a stupendous task to get rid of such entrenched corruption in public life and often talks about changing society itself. But she never preached violence and all of her campaigns have been peaceful.

India has a strong constitution complete with checks and balances to keep the executive and legislative branches in balance. Its judiciary has been fiercely independent and is often critical of the government on many issues. But despite all that, corruption continued to flourish unabated. The much debated reasoning is that bodies like the Central Surveillance Commission, the Central Bureau of Investigation, the police whose task is to investigate wrongdoing are not autonomous like the Electoral Commission and are controlled by the government. Also, no process can be started without lots of permissions and approvals etc. All the prosecutions that have been initiated so far are due to public and media protest, the instructions of the Supreme Court and the petitions for writs filed in the courts. The government, by itself, has never started anything. His vested interests are obvious.

There are ‘Lok Ayuktas’, chaired by distinguished persons at the state level, but they have been useless and ineffective as they can only make recommendations and have no powers to bring legal action. Your reports just gather dust.

Year 2011, saw great frauds. Anna Hazare then began her fast until her death in Delhi. She demanded that the Government present a bill to establish a ‘Lok Pal’ at the national level, which will have powers to take cognizance of any scandal on its own initiative, investigate, register cases, accuse the culprits and even punish them. Her recommendations will be binding and even the Prime Minister would not be exempt. Anna’s demand was that the bill to establish ‘Lok Pal’ on her terms must be submitted immediately. According to this draft, she flatly rejected the draft produced by the Government and declared it as the most useless exercise that would not alter anything. Anna insisted on a joint committee of ten members, half of whom would be non-governmental figures.

While initially simply ignored by the government, the public provided overwhelming support and thousands flocked to where Anna was fasting. The media upped the ante and after two days many channels were covering the event 24 hours a day. It also sparked great debates. Personalities from all walks of life began to express their support. Slowly, the government was goaded into action. He tried to water down Anna’s claims by invoking constitutional difficulties. Anna remained defiant. She was losing weight but her mind remained focused. The government apparatus at the highest level was shaken.

On the fifth day of the fast, sensing the sentiments of the public, the government relented completely. A notice was issued in the bulletin to form a joint committee, per Anna’s terms. Anna broke her fast. The nation celebrated the victory as an important milestone in the national battle against corruption.

Everyone is aware that this is only the beginning. First, the joint committee will draft the bill and present it to the next session of parliament. It will be a daunting task to get it passed, as the bill will create a powerful authority that can investigate anyone for corruption and punish if they are found guilty. Such a process, without Lok Pal, as is the case today, has been found most sterile. The magnitude of the embezzled public money has stunned the nation and people are in no mood to grant the guilty constitutional rights and guarantees.

Anna has already told the government that they should be ready to go home if they can’t pass the bill.