History replete with instances of sensible movements led by brilliant minds, great strategists going out of their hands - leading to violence, anarchy or something as intangible as a deepening perception of "Sab chor hain" - the damage of which is invisible but in my opinion, more damaging than what a diluted Lokpal bill might be and erosion of trust in democratic principles which is the touchstone of this country.Slippery Slope generalizations - Taking this model of public coercion by say, 10,000 or even 100,000 people to an extreme- goes against democratic principles. And then how different would it be from 10,000 jats agitating for reservation.
Another development of a mass agitation is that its efficacy and success is disproportionately dependent not just on the personality , resolve and moral strength of the one who leads but also his "political" skills. (Aside: For those who flinched and felt repulsed at the use of this "dirty" word, "politics is the process by which a group comes to a collective decision"). For he must not only rally his following in constructive channels, prevent them from resorting to unethical practices(performed under illusions of the "Greater Good") and excercise control so as not to lose the leadership to vested interests(e.g the opposition) who have a different ace to grind . Besides all that, he must also be ready to compromise(nelson mandela, Nehru(more than Gandhi, I believe), martin luther) even at the risk of the collective outrage of all his followers as well as detractors. Is Mr hazare up to it? I dearly hope he is but past history tells me - a mass upsurge of popular sentiment causes leaders to take up more and more uncompromising positions rather than working behind the scenes for an amicable solution
If however the idea is to gain a majority in the drafting committee at the exclusion of the political executive, the bureaucrats and the agencies who will be affected, that can hardly be called a flexible attitude.
R: What do you suggest?
S: I wont even try to say what the best lokpal bill would be. There is a general consensus among all concerned that the bill is incredibly dilute and if legislated, is certain to have minimal impact. And I am certainly not qualified to understand the institutional linkages and repercussions of the Jan lokpal bill if enacted in its present form. however my main concern is with the process of policy making and there is a general agreement to the principle of greated CS role in the situation. RTI showed why public demonstrations are important but holding a gun to the centre's head and a possibility of a repeat of Potti Sriramulu is quite inimical to the country's social fabric.
Also, CS needs to figure out the manner of its involvement. Ambedkar's warnings in the Constituent assembly were quite portentuous dealing with the contradiction of satyagrahas, civil disobedience etc in a democratic polity.Speaking from a citizen's point of view, I personally would like to see a return to the Moderate era of national movement wherein the CS worked for reforms through petitions, memorandums ,political education of the people through speeches and edits in the press, peaceful demonstrations that do not border on threats of self starvation. Extremist modes and the gandhian mode should be the last resort.
R: Aha! The last resort. But this is a last resort! If this passes , all is doomed. Politicians will always remain corrupt.
S: That is quite an overstatement. The Indian polity, warts and all, is much more strong than it is given credit for. It has withstood stronger pressures, bigger crises and immense fissparous tendencies. it is important not to be so naive as to believe the Jan Lokpal bill will remove all corruption from the society nor be so naive as to believe that enacting a diluted form will preclude all reforms in the future.
In the end , there is no substitute for the political education of the electorate , for which AHA's stand is making an incomparable contribution but its crucial that it tone down its tenor so as to work more contructively towards a consensual bill rather than let the energy of the frustrated facebookers dissipate while pounding there heads against an increasingly obdurate political executive.
Meanwhile, repose some faith, like Nehru did in the judgment of the masses- who, if you recall correctly, punished Indira gandhi for subverting democracy even if it meant political instability and risked depriving them of the newly infused discipline and the paltry amounts of food on their table
Main concerns :
1. Selection of CS representatives
2.Unity and Diversity of opinion- the right to "beg to differ" not CS's sole preserve
3.Civil Society overreach
4. Dysfunctionalities and unforeseen outcomes
I can see the main objections to my arguments - the unjustified "babudom" complex kicking in, even if I am just preparing for civil services : ) , the "what right do you have? Hazare has impeccable credentials" (I am sure he does, but even if I watch porn 12 hours a day, pay off land barons for illegal acquisitions and kill cuddly rabbits for fun, I still have a right to comment - a part of judging the validity of arguments is certainly as to who is making them, but it should not be made overwhelmingly so, let rationality and logic take first place in evaluation, IMO) and the third - the question of judgment (Subjective)
Wish I could write more. Sadly, I have stuff to do. however always interested to hear your comments, reviews. Trolls are welcome too.
Umm, i do see this is a haphazard take on things, I sure wish to refine this further at my leisure.
ReplyDeleteI have always had a strong disliking to the "Gandhian" or the extremist way of protest but I doubt if the governments of India have had the political will to pass and implement a strong bill as the one as proposed by the civil society. I wonder if Potti Sriramulu hadn't taken that drastic measure, when or if at all the implementation of marking the states on the linguistic lines would have taken place.
ReplyDeleteIt most certainly would have. In due course of time. The consensus for reorganization of the country on linguistic basis was an idea formed in 1890s by tilak and officially became the congress line in 1917 /21(if i remember correctly) . However in the judgment of the congress(or Nehru as was equivalent in those days), it wasnt the best of times to divide the country at a critical time when india was a fledgling democracy. Sriramulu merely precipitated the whole process, accompanied with huge losses of property, life and faith in the coutry's political system.
ReplyDeleteU may see this as haphazard but it is a gud composition.I may agree AHA being a blackmail but is it correct to put it on the same stage with jat agitations , which are completely unconstitutional , disrupt public services, lead to a huge financial loss? Similarly comparing it with Poti Sriramulu case where it had vested interests of a limited section of society . In that case also things turned ugly when he died which they did not expect. I agree if Anna hazare dies it will take a huge toll on the stability of country but lets not get worried too much abt it at such an early stage. In this case the movement swelled up and gathered support not becoz of his personality but I think bcoz people believed in his causes and understood they are just.
ReplyDeleteIf Ambedkar warned against the gandhian methods in democracy then we shall acknowledge that there are very few incidents of those in these 60 years. and now democracy has turned more and more 'not-representative' and they come by minority votes rather than a gud majority.
Possible benefits which I can see from AHA :
1.short term target of a gud LokJanpal bill.
2. eduacted electorate.
3. a ray of hope when people started to believe "ab kuch nahi ho sakta is desh ka'..
4. a future platform for CS voice in case something goes terribly wrong in our system.
Do write more when u get tym.
I think you do a great disservice to Hazare by likening his protest to the Jat agitations and Potti Sriramulu's strike. There can be no doubt that given the number of such agitations that have taken place, one would be tempted to treat it as a classic case of the boy crying wolf. It would behoove one to remember, though, that the last time the boy cried out, there was a wolf involved.
ReplyDeleteP.S.: Agree on the haphazard part, but do make your sentences shorter. Every time I end a sentence, I forget where I began.
P.P.S.: At the cost of being labelled a grammar Nazi, (a moniker that, though technically inappropriate in the present context, is something that I'm used to) I should like to remind Vaibhav that the bill proposed is being called the Jan Lokpal bill, not the other way around.
What you are saying for the demarcation of states that Congress would have implemented in due time can also be said for the for Jan Lokpal Bill. I can also be said for the article 370, Uniform civil code, removal of reservation for SC,STs and a host of other issues.
ReplyDeleteWhen people see that none of these things have happened via a moderate process and compare it with the result of the protest of Potti Sriramulu, then isn't it obvious what method they are likely to adapt if they are desperate and feel disillusioned?
@siddhartha
ReplyDeleteCouple of things
Firstly, what I wrote on a thread on FB "lekin ek baat to hai- these topics of discussions are open to so may misinterpretations, misunderstandings, and most importantly nuances one misses face to face discussion when clarifications and feedback come instantly and at less effort than what the email and fb affords."
I am not likening(or at least not intentionally so) the movement to the Jat agitation or the Andhra movement. Each such popular upsurge has a unique DNA primarily depending on the leader or the kernel, the (candle lit or rabble rousing) hoi polloi( no deprecation intended) and the government reaction. And its certainly not my case that the way the government should deal with popular demands is context independent.
As I reason out further, I think the crux dissolves into separate questions which is neither writer independent nor reader independent.
Who am I writing as? Objective third party, a citizen or a government apologist?
Who am I writing it for? The government? The Citizenry? Intellectual debates?
With all combinations and permutations, there are 9 different stands that I can take. Maybe its best to clarify that I am writing it as a citizen with a more abstract bent of analysis than a direct "Am i against corruption or not?" and this is directed to how I believe Citizenry "should" react, (Expl. "Should react" here stands for - "please take into consideration these not unimportant values before wearing I want Jan Lokpal bill tags.")
As for Anna Hazare, one would be a fool to doubt his intentions or credentials.
My basic question re the whole episode is simply this -
for Jan LokPal on its merits ,what do we want - rule of law or rule of men?
for the agitation - law of men but of what men exactly?
Man! i hate the internet. :P
Perhaps a note on my basic axiom with which I take a stand- "moderation in everything including moderation" . I have applied it everywhere and while its efficacy in coming to a solution can be doubted, it is as close as one gets to the Middle Path :D
@shaktimaan
ReplyDeleteI must apologise for being incredibly naive in the more than usual faith I repose in the Legislature as the ultimate representative body that is theoretically assumed to say what the nation wants. Its as simple as that. Has it performed that function? I dont know I have nothing to compare it to except perhaps the Directive Principles. Is it perfect? Not at all. Will I still trust it rather than even a direct referendum democracy model like Switzerland? Yes, to the death- it has served us incredibly well in face of the immense divisive lines that permeate the sub soil of society(remember the quip about the political democracy as the top soil of the country).
As for the issues you highlighted
Common Civil Code- Well, unlike Arun Shourie(You should read his book on Indian controversies no matter what your political inclinations are, I read it as a what BJP brands one as pseudo secularist and I had a great time separating the good arguments from the bad. But it makes you rethink your perceptions)at the risk of painting over many many nuances I will just say, the liberal minority needs to be given, nay, demand a disproportionate amount of coverage and visibility for progress on that front. Even at the rsiik of being charged as muslim appeasement, I will not force majority sentiments on a minority or without the due process of consensus. Personal law that violates "modern" ideals of equality, liberty etc will, nonetheless invoke strong criticism but social reform(unlike acts that are criminal under secular law) must come from within (eg Shah bano was a contemptible case, in my opinion. Also the Hindu personal law reform in the 1950s was an example of a top down enforced change which was for the good of the community)
Art 370 Ah the Kashmir issue. All I'll say, if its repeal is anything like the flag hoisting issue at lal Chowk was it? I would rather not be a party to it. Sorry.
SC/ST reservations- :) Wow! Most of these issues have had dozens of books written on them :D
[Aside- cant help smiling when I think for a second what I mean when I say "good". The infinite possibilities of arguing, questions and counter questions giddy me)
Whatever the arguments be, the easiest thing for the government most of the times is maintaining status quo.
ReplyDeleteThe protest seems to me the wrong thing for the right reason. The right method eludes me.
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ReplyDeleteIndian politics has overcome many challenges and most by riding the shoulders of the masses. It is also important to not to be naive and believe that all the malice surrounding corrupt institutions or governance will be cleared all at once with some kind of a magic wand effect. This is just the beginning. changes or for that matter politics do not necessarily take a chalked out strategy but more often than not it, in the process of progressing, moulds itself learning its own lessons with course of time and with the course of strategy. I completely agree with u when u say that political education will have no substitute but i feel these processes of non violent struggles are in itself the biggest and the best way of spreading awareness, education and also of inviting disagreements and initiating important political discussions... if we are going to wait till the time when we feel all the people of india hav enough political education..we will be left nothing at all.
ReplyDeletehaving said all of this- i am curious to know we as though why did the government possibly bend in this case? weren’t Hazare’s demands something which the government would have agreed to anyway fasting or not just on the basis of the big attention it invited( including of the media and Indian inc.- the two sections which is as much infested with corruption, and mostly works in link the government rather than against it)?and aren’t the repercussions of the jan lopkpal bill too vague.?
my biggest fear (can’t help being suspicious about all the parties involved) what happens to the real masses and fighters of corruption, and also to the government when it comes to north east. Are we waiting for Irom Sharmila to actually die before repealing a hugely violent and unjust law like APSPA(can it too not b linked to corruption and bad governance)?
Has Sharmila’s decade long struggle remains neglected by masses(media nd corporate) because it has not drawn big names like bedi kejriwal yet or is it because govern ment feels secure enough to wait forerver until the the noice and site of struggle shifts to delhi? and what happened to the peaceful struggle f victims of Bhopal tragedy?(just a case am worried about) can anyone tell the whereabouts of mr. Anderson or are they the happiest to shout the benefits of nuclear power plants into our ears?
why a particular case catches everyone’s attention and why several other, involving as drastic measures as fast unto death, do not still evades me? ofcourse politics is all pervasive and comes in various shapes, sizes and packages!
@shweta Just sharing the tragedy of irom sharmila and what it represents to me
ReplyDeletea. the failure of media is merely a reflection of the failure of the indian mainstream(which btw is the crowd now congregated at Jantar Mantar) to make it their "own" issue. I fear(and i hope i am wrong) that this is the sum total of the tendency of Delhi(and if I may be so crass, even me) to see North east as an unknown- Most don't know its history, the circumstances of its integration into the Indian Union(still festering as in kashmir), the media doesnt do much in way of coverage or sustained tempo (there are numerous demonstrations by the aggrieved from North East, Jantar mantar being one of their favorite demo points) and the govt manages to get by without much trouble. The fact that I(as a layman) once perceived it to be a homogenous densely forested countries hardy mongoloids plucking tea leaves makes me apprehensive as to what "normal" unconcerned people see it as or whether they see it as integral a part of India as say South India(tsunami relief remember), Kashmir(chest thumping machine), Bihar or even chattisgarh(where although little media penetration has happened, it does enjoy its visibility)
So what now? If i allow myself to be pessimistic, only a repeal of AFSPA enforcement in the region on the political prerogative of the Center and the State can be the prime mover. In this particular case, I try hard to find hope, but blame it on the lethargy I perceive on the issue, I am not optimistic.
Also, i would beg you to read my comments above as well. There were some observations I thought were quite worthy to be explored further.
p.s. Do I know you perchance? I pride(and sort of pity) myself on having known all of my blog readers personally. So its a major boost if you know me through my blog only.
oh! there definitely r worthy enough observations made.but u donot leave too many scopes for arguments after making statement like--- " these topics of discussions are open to so many misinterpretations, misunderstandings, n most importantly nuances one misses face to face discussion when clarifications n feedback come instantly n at less effort than what the email n fb affords./Each such popular upsurge has a unique DNA” .
ReplyDeleteu preempt most of arguments.when it comes to ur take on legislature-true, howsoever discredited it is(cash for vote, cash for question being only recent scandals) it still gives some hope only because there hv been mp’s who did bring a lot of respect to ths institution ..but its also true that nowadays most of tax payers money just go in vain as trendy it hs become to perpetually disrupt the legislature n keep it in a suspended mode.who can we blame when the party enjoying the mandate tries doing little to end this confusion (JPC drama of cong. was idiotic n completely uncalled for) .moreover, i also think that the biggest strength of parliamentary govt. is its opposition (can do wonders). infact i feel they hv far greater obligation to the ppl than the party in power. opposition, unfortunately in our country r horribly confused abt there own politics, forget about them assessing the politics of othr parties n coming up with logical debates..at times to me it seems they argue for the sake of argument-as it ws with nuclear debate-though BJP was the one to initiate dialogues with bush over the issue, later they completely changed position .
similarly as a kid i felt the biggest upholders of law n justice were judiciary n institutions like cvc- both have proved me blatantly wrong..though at the same time both have had ppl like justice verma, shah,or in case of cvc ppl like vittal who have done worthy enough deeds to repose some sort of faith n hope.
northeast -in a cosmopolitan city like delhi i have found ppl studying subjects like history n politics liberally using terms like ‘chinki’n taking them to be promiscuous, n using this in turn as a justification to endlessly pass horrible comments..clearly education does not necessarily make one educated bt earlier i thought tht atleast it confers some sense. i was wrong..moreover ,especially in case of NE i feel india serves no better(or perhaps far worse) purpose than the britishers.
Again when we talk about Kashmir n north east(one reason why we tend to see the region as a homogenous entity is because the term NE amalgamate differences way too cleverly) some very important debates about the nation states r initiated. what also comes clear is the hypocrisy behind ‘unity in diversity’ which violently cover differences thereby perpetuating the region’s disadvantaged position.
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ReplyDeleteuniform civil code -getting special emphasis from a party like BJP ,who have been so secular n minority/ women friendly n hv such huge credentials as upholders of modern n lofty ideals of justice n liberty, (especially of religion) that we clearly don’t have to expend any energy to see the ulterior motives behind the demand.
ReplyDeletemoreover abrogation of article 370 too primarily emanates from sangh parivar's idea of nationalism n the idea of 'minority living as second citizen or not living at all'. kandhamal , godhra, Karnataka stare us at the face. moreover, advani n modi hv done no good to the efforts of Vajpayee( great statesman) to prove that BJP functions independent of sangh parivar. as far as i am concerned i'll b with gilani n arundhati roy n would always keep kashmiri ppl’s concerns/wellness at the helm of all things even if it eventually gets converted to me being a secessionist.
st/sc reservations- no one can answer as to why do we continue to have ppl. belonging to ‘lower castes’ only as manual scavengers/safai karamcharis in all public institutions/municipalities. In one of the premier most medical institutions like AIIMS there is segregation of hostel floor on the basis of caste..nd then more than once i've come across statements like “ arre, she is a Dalit. doesn’t look like one”. as if ppl. born dalits are subhumans nd hve marks on their bodies different frm super humans-uppercastes..
As far as corruption is concerned- nothing much remains to say when institutions like PMO( spectrum), CVC( reluctant thomas ji), judiciary (sabharwal, balakrishnan) is terribly infected. n also when opposition parties end up doing good-for-nothing business.
ReplyDeletebut though i have no doubts about the sanctity of constitution /constitutional methods but unlike u i would not necessary want the return of moderate phase as personally i found it too lacking n too elite. for me non-violent gandhian mass struggle is anytime far appealing than the moderate one . moreover, i donot look at “anshan” as blackmail.. because it is all right to nt eat food n try to pressurize the govt.(to fulfil its own promises) who has left no opportunity to blackmail ppl ,whether it is with petrol price /onion price(2 vry simple eg.)n continues to blackmail us with much-diluted-yet-not-passed food security act or still-struggling to alingn with minimum wages act-the NREGA.
i feel i've to b a dangerous optimist to see ‘good’ in the way democracy has taken turns. i don’t know about many but i get too disturbed when i see ‘sarkar’ making SEZs tax free zones or exempting ambanis/tatas frm paying taxes. i too get extremely disturbed when i see ambani having 77 storeyed home in a city where more than half the population barely survive in the slums. like politics, for me corruption too is deep rooted nd often hides itself under garb of money/ power.
ReplyDeletei think i better stop now because as it that politics offers so much scope for endless deliberations that one can expend one’s lifetime n yet not come at any concrete conclusion- which i think is the best thing about it (it leaves scope for endless sunjectivities n mis/interpretations.)
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p.s. know u only through your blog.