Anna Rocks, like no one's Business!

Who knew that a sweet and simple old man with an infectious and toothless grin, would be an icon to reckon with? Who knew he could stir an anti-corruption movement and touch the hearts of a gazillion followers? Am sure no one knew that India would be united in a non-violent revolution for her second freedom, under the leadership of a Gandhian in the 21^st century.                                         

Should the Prime Minister's office and the Supreme Court be included under the Lokpal  | How should the Lokpal team be elected | Who should constitute  the Lokpal | How should they function | What powers should they have? ---These are important questions that need a second look; another discussion; a deliberate thought. Corruption is rooted at the micro level and has spread  like a disease to the highest levels in our country. It's high time some reform took place and such desperate times call for desperate measures. The answer to some of these questions can be found in Anna’s leadership at this moment. The man is staring at his 9th day of fasting, having had nothing more than 3 litres of water every fasting day. Even if the followers who have taken to the streets, are clueless about the intricacies of the Jan Lokpal vis-a-vis the Government's version of it, they are united against corruption. They have lost faith in the government when it comes to corruption and have found a leading light in Anna Hazare's tenacity. He says in his trademark style 'Yeh sab log jo raaste par aake protest kar rahein hein, yeh sab tang aa gaye hein sarkar ke brashtachar se, aur ab isko rok ke hi rahenge'.

What is ensuing before our eyes today is nothing but a Kung-Fu hustle between the people and its representatives. What a classic irony! A simple request to consider her people’s demands is being looked at , by this government, as some sort of a crime! The snake-style defence that the leading  party-the Congress has adopted, against all dialogues, is three-fold. 1.They say that one person musn’t sway the masses and mislead them to believe they can pressurize the government and form laws as they deem appropriate. 2. They believe that bringing the PM and Judiciary under the ambit of the Lokpal would undermine the very office they hold. 3. A question lingers around the accountability of the Lokpal itself....

I am no expert on politics or legality, but would like to share my view point of these chains of thought one by one.

Firstly, the perfect counter example for point no.1 is Ramdev and his antics. They didn't work. He tried and failed to garner as much support for the same cause, despite being such a popular personality. A certain lady professed her desire to marry him and that's about it. The fact is, people are not in awe of popular icons, masses are not asses for once and definitely not lame sheep to blindly follow the herd. They are not supporting a person, but the ideals he stands for , the cause he represents and the course he takes to achieve the goal! They are united against corruption as they have faced its wrath, in some form or the other, while dealing with government agencies. It is high time they know where their taxes go and its time they got their money's worth. Now you may say, the Lokpal is an independent investigative agency meant to persecute only public servants against corruption. How does this affect corporates, private agencies etc.? My answer is that, if the government leads the change, things are bound to be set in order gradually. Isn't it?

Secondly, if we, the people who elected the party to power in the first place, are showing our peaceful solidarity towards a positive change, the govt. should see no harm in considering our inputs. This power has been given by the people; should be used for the people; to satisfy well-justified demands of the people. And what is this demand?---- the formation of a pro-active anti-corruption body, which has teeth to bite anyone who flounders! That sounds quite fair to me. The Parliament must follow by example.

Thirdly, the Lokpal team would be accountable to the Supreme court. The CAG would conduct their yearly audits and so on. Guidelines need to be laid down on the manner in which they can function, so as to curb misuse of authority by the Lokpal members themselves. The Jan Lokpal itself might need more fine-tuning, but by and large, I am with Anna and I think his recommendations must get a decent hearing .The political parties must take a justified stand on this issue which has struck a chord with  every citizen.                                                                  

On the lighter side,  I love the way he says ' Main aaj raat tihar jail mein rahoonga , aur aap sab ko kal subah Ramlila maidaan mein miloonga'. His simplicity & easy charm coupled with a strong sense of purpose & conviction makes him an affable leader. Anna's cool quotient is soaring high and he has surely kicked the boat shaped cap back into fashion !! Like Arnab Goswami, the Times Now journalist-of-the-moment, says  'Anna Hazare doesn't need any Z-security like some of our politicians do, as the entire country has joined the cause he is leading '. We, the people, are his security cover and the echo in his voice ! I hope to see a positive resolution to the Lokpal revolution and I hope this voice is heard......

Born on 15th Jan 1940, in a village near Ahmednagar, Anna Hazare had a stint in the Indian Army, post which he has been working as a social reformer towards rural upliftment, against corruption, redtapism and bureaucracy. He set out on a 15 day fast on 16th Aug 2011, pushing for the Jan Lokpal to be heard in Parliament. He and his dedicated team of leaders like Arvind Kejriwal, Kiran Bedi and the like, are all for a robust Lokpal bill and will not stop till they succeed!

To join the 'India Against Corruption Movement', follow this link http://www.indiaagainstcorruption.org/  and to know more about Anna Hazare go to the following link http://www.annahazare.org/biography.html  or watch his video on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96BirWKnco0&feature=related