Anna Hazare is not the “Be all and End all” of corruption
Prof Dr P Chandra Sekharan
Anna Hazare, of late has become a dictator who blackmails the government by dictating his own terms and conditions to eradicate corruption. Does he know the aetiology of corruption? Just because a few hundred people gather around him to show their faces in the razzle-dazzle news channels, he thinks he has the support of the entire nation behind him and challenges the Government. The people of this country are the root cause for corruption prevalent our society. How many of us can claim to be honest in all our dealings? How many of us can claim that we never got things done by bribing?
Are all those who gather around Hazare are honest and non-corrupt people? For example Kiran Bedi who appears rubbing shoulders with Hazare in all TV clippings, claims in the ‘Soap-Ad’ that eight out of the ten clothes she washes with that brand of soap show sparkling whiteness. Is this not a dishonest claim simply made to earn big money. Similarly she proclaimed that “Brain mapping test provides 100 percent correct results and is a most effective tool these days for investigating agencies.” [The Indian Express, Bangalore 24.5.2010]. The fact remains that Bedi, being a prison administrator had never investigated any criminal case utilising brain-mapping. How can such a dishonest person fight corruption. Besides, many politicians who support Hazare are seasoned corrupt individuals.
Hazare wants all black money to be seized. What about the huge wealth accumulated not only in this country but in several other countries by Baba Ramdev, Sri Sri, gurus, yogis and similar clans? Are they white money or donations from white money? Are the crores of money donated to political parties are white money? Most of the bulk moneys that go into the Temple hundies are black money. Does Anna Hazare have the guts to unearth the black money with the above sources? Can he compel the political parties to declare the source of their income and make them pay income tax?
Corruption is deep rooted in our society, in spite of the fact that there are provisions to curb the same in the existing law. Lokpal bill will be another addition to the existing law.
Hazare will be justified if he turns his gun against these corrupt people and above all the main source of corruption, namely the bribe givers. As long as the bribe givers are prevalent in our society you cannot aim unilaterally at the bribe-takers only.
Hazare wants the Prime Minister, the Chief Justice of India, the High Court and the Supreme Court to come under the purview of the Lokpal. This is a primitive thinking indeed. Any ruling party will be dubbed as corrupt by the opposition, because they are corrupt. The same thing will be re-enacted if the parties change positions. The Prime Minister, the judges of the Supreme Court and High Court are all citizens of this country. If they could become corrupt, where is the guarantee that Lokpal, who will be selected from our society, will not become corrupt?
If the Prime Minister becomes corrupt, the parliamentarians who elected him are responsible. If parliamentarians become corrupt, the people who have elected them are to be blamed. So where does corruption begin? A corrupt society can have only a Prime Minister it deserves. Having such a corrupt society, it will be a shame to undermine the office of the Prime Minister and judiciary. There are ways and means in our current system of law to bring down corrupt people including the Prime Minister. Do not create another apex body like Lokpal, which would indeed be labelled as corrupt by the same opposition and Hazares, if Lokpal does not tow in line with them. Then Lokpal will become a joke pal, as foreseen!
Let not Anna Hazare think that he is the “Be all and End all” of corruption. Let Anna Hazare, instead of pouring his outbursts before TV cameras, go to the people and preach against bribing officials and politicians to get things done. Anna hazare is full of smiles and characteristic hand waving before the TV Cameras.The body laguage of hazare exhibits that he would like to be the cynosure whenever his team is covered by TV Channels. The only short coming is that there is no halo around his neck. Let him use this technique to reform his countrymen. Let all his supporters also follow suit. Let our razzle-dazzle news channels also propagate such activities rather than the showing day in and day out the deafening debates.
