Letter from the Editor-In-Chief
India's Triumph
Dear friends,
September 2011
After India attained its Independence in 1947, it is for the first time that a peaceful agitation led by Anna Hazare resulted in the achievement of the first step to the passing of the Lok Pal Bill for which the support of the nation has been heard from each and every corner. The Parliament has accepted by resolution the three conditions of Anna Hazare viz all Civil Servants should be brought under Lok Pal, a Citizen’s Charter should be displayed at all Government offices and all states should have Lokayuktas. Finally, after all the drama, the actual bill is expected to be passed in Parliament sometime in November. It is true that corruption has taken root in our system to such an extent that people are not only harassed by corruption but have also become part and parcel of the whole sordid theme.
Corruption needs to be eliminated. Now the pertinent question is how? Our Parliament is full of corrupt, crime oriented people to the extent that 43% of the 15th Lok Sabha MPs have criminal cases against them for serious crimes like murder, rape, arson and robbery. In other words one third of the Lok Sabha members have been, at some time or the other, charged as law breakers. It is no wonder then that these Parliamentarians fought tooth and nail to sweep the Lokpal Bill and its kind under the carpet for the last 43 years.
In a scenario where we have too many corrupt politicians, Members of Parliament, bureaucrats, businessmen and media people, the agitation by Anna Hazare was timely and deservedly got the support of the entire nation. The agitation reflects that people are no longer going to be the silent observers and Varun Gandhi rightly said that till now people had been “passive observers and fence sitters” on the issue of corruption, but the Anna stir has proved to the younger generation that “they are also the active agents of change”.
In a democracy, the people’s power is always greater than all other power. If the people of India take a decision and learn to say “No” to corruption, something can be achieved.
However, all said and done, corruption will not end simply through the passing of the Lokpal Bill. It has to be supported by election reforms, as hinted by Anna himself, i.e. right to call back and state funding of elections. Further, the Lokpal Bill should not become a tool in the hands of the Government to harass the opposition and critics. Time will tell how we fare but as things stand right now, the future and the possibility of a ‘corruption free India’ seems bright.