INDIA AGAINST CORRUPTION - THE WAY AHEAD

For almost 65 long years, India citizens have been struggling to realize the dream of the Mahatma and many other revered freedom fighters.  This dream has been to create 'all inclusive' citizen centric national systems and institutions, which will respond positively to the ever growing/changing needs of the citizens.  A lot has been achieved for a population that has tripled in the given time frame but India finds itself wanting more than just political freedom and some economic prosperity.  Even these have failed to reach a majority of the citizens, in spite of India giving itself an amazing Constitution, which makes the citizens the 'owners of the nation' and therefore supreme at every level.  The era of selfless and nationalistic leaders did not blossom to achieve the dream stated above, due to selfish behavior of some of those in corporate, political and administrative power.  A series of ever growing scams, cronyism, misuse of power-money-muscle and corruption of all kinds, going back to most of the 65 years, have caused serious setback in the natural growth of the nation of 120 Crore citizens.  The failure of the governance systems and national institutions, to address these serious problems, caused the creation of a national movement called India Against Corruption (IAC), during November 2010. 

India finds itself at almost the bottom on most 'global development indices' due to serious shortcoming in: Corruption Laws, Electoral Reforms, Judicial Reforms, Police Reforms, Gram Panchayat Reforms, Nagar Raj Reforms, De-centralization, Taxation Reforms, Education Reforms and Food Security among others.  While the political parties, many elected leaders and selected administrators, did work on all of the above national issues, unfortunately the results fail to deliver substantial relief to majority of the citizens, who find themselves unable to benefit from national development.  Dedicated and selfless citizens find themselves isolated and targeted at all levels across the country, such that Activists find themselves incapable of moving the nation in the right direction in spite of isolated instances of bringing justice to the troubled citizens.  IAC took up the issue of rampant corruption and framed a 'new draft bill' for a strong anti-corruption law (Lokpal at the centre and Lokayukt at the state level).  Such a bill has been pending for some 44 years.  The main protagonists of IAC were the same persons who had worked in the national governance systems and therefore knew its systemic shortcomings.  Many Activists across India, old and new, became Volunteers to take forward the national movement called IAC.  Shri Anna Hazare who had already worked with some of them for the RTI statute and who had caused the removal of some powerful corrupt politicians and administrators, was the natural choice for leading the IAC movement.  A parallel movement to control and bring back black money stashed abroad, was taken up by Yogi Shri Baba Ramdev. 

IAC Volunteers with Anna developed a Mahatma type national andolan/agitation to take forward this draft bill.  It was pointed out to the politicians and administrators that the 'owners of the nation' had woken up and wanted a strong Lokpal and Lokayukt law to control corruption, punish the perpetrators, recover the loot in a time bound manner with existing systems/institutions, working synchronously.  The agitation, peaceful in all respects, with Anna and Baba in the forefront, took the nation by storm, was widely reported in the local and national Media and digital world.  For some time the political parties and the current national Government were forced to admit the urgent need for such law and took a few positive steps in that direction, under pressure of repeated satyagrah.  However, in spite of many promises by some of the Government leaders and some in Parliament, the outcome is found to be zero. 

The stand of the 'owners of the nation' to make the 'servants of the nation' work for greater national good and fine tune the national institutions has only lead to false promises, incessant delays and more of the 3D poison (Deny, Divide and Divert).  Extreme forms of satyagrah have failed to move the tainted and criminal among the elected and selected officials in Government and Parliament.  It seems the dedicated and selfless among them are a helpless minority.  The India Constitution requires the Parliament and State Assemblies to pass laws and make required changes.  The only constitutional path available before the nation is now to send more selfless and capable persons into the Parliament and State Assemblies, to persuade citizens to avoid the tainted, to correct the system/institutions and bring in effective reforms that keep the citizens at the centre for all types of projects and plans. 

Continuing the current IAC agitation, andolan and satyagrah in its present form has so far failed to bring in a 'strong and comprehensive law and reformed system' to control corruption, but has raised awareness in the citizens and scared the tainted.  Now, about 44 years have elapsed for this one single reform; but we are closer to a participatory democracy than ever before.  This mission is now over.  It will be insane to continue indefinite fasting when a large number of tainted representatives obviously will not pass a strong Lokpal Bill in Parliament.  The best one can hope for is a repeat of the weak Nagar Raj Law passed by the Maharashtra Assembly.  The new mission is to channelize the current national fervor, to put many more selfless persons into the 'house of power' and achieve the needed goals stated above.  Such persons: Rashtra Sevaks, Rajya Sevaks, Zilla Sevaks, Nagar Sevaks, Gram Sevaks, chosen directly and only by the citizens, at all levels: Rashtra, Rajya, Zilla, Nagar and Gram, will eliminate all forms of Raj Shahi and bring in Lok Shahi, as was envisioned by the Mahatma and other important leaders of the past century. Their attitude will be of 'andolankaari's focused on service to the citizens.  Strong persons are needed to work as a team, and introduce/frame laws and policies to achieve the dream of an 'all inclusive resurgent India', by eliminating: VIP perks, nepotism, 3D poison, influence of money-muscle-power and other similar evils from the corridors of national power.  Such persons will have to work under the umbrella of an 'andolan type political party' and expose/prevent further misdeeds by the tainted MPs and MLAs and bring in reforms and fine tune national and state institutions. The mission for them will be to substantially improve the political and governance culture at all levels.  It is expected that such persons will offer only five years of their lives for nation building and then make way for others like themselves.  India has talent and capable persons, in all age groups, who are patiently biding time and opportunity for selfless national work, prepared to live simple ordinary lives to enable India to set new and better global standards.  The evils in India that seem to be the norm will have to be made rare and episodic. 

India can wait no longer.  The year 2014 brings an opportunity for Volunteers to persuade citizens to vote to bring in the best that India can offer.  These Volunteers will continue work at mohalla level and identify local persons who are acceptable representatives, to majority of citizens there.  Volunteers will study the electoral rolls and get removed non-existent voters, register new voters, engage youth for this cause and prepare for the coming national elections and for some state elections.  All planning and discussions must be Participatory, Accountable and Transparent (PAT) with a strong dose of Decentralization and Integrity. 

It is accepted that many well meaning dedicated citizens and activists will not find this a satisfactory mission and will therefore work for other constitutional methods.  They are welcome to follow their desires and also raise relevant issues and get them resolved/accepted at regular Volunteer public meets and various forums of the digital age.  It must be understood that this mission is being fine tuned even now and was taken up only when about 90% of citizens, Volunteers and Supporters at the recent 25th July 2012 agitation, across the nation, found it satisfactory.  This is an opinion poll subscribed to by tens of thousands of responsible selfless citizens.  Let those who object, not insult this choice but work to make politics and politicians a positive word.  Vande Maatarum.  Jai Hind.