Up, Close & Personal - The Anna Revolution

I have a lot f people around wanting me to raise an opinion on what I call “THE BEST SOCIAL REVOLUTION” post Independence era. I can’t post it then because I felt that for a person who for the last 4 months is continuously following this story and has day – night heard discussions on the same, it will be insane to just make an answer on a question which is too open ended. So HERE I GO –

Anna Hazare – A phenomenon, Gentle men, Genuine, Straight forward & the best epitome of  Non  - Violence & People’s anger towards Financial Corruption. For he is a person of sheer respect & dignity, I salute him for his queer decisiveness, love for the nation & simplicity. After what I heard when I was in school regarding a quote, “SIMPLE LIVING, HIGH THINKING”, I have worked out two people MANMOHAN SINGH & ANNA HAZARE. Ironically they both stand against each other in this battle.

For a person like me who has political & corporate linkages it is easy to understand to what level the anti – corruption movement is the need of the hour. Financial corruption in India has gone to such an extent that from buying a Pencil (where the shop keeper saves the Sales Tax by not giving the Bill) to Selling a Land (where for an amount of 1 Crore, Registry is done for 50 Lacs only for to evade Income & Wealth Tax) we all are CORRUPT. For do we have enough literacy about the aforesaid facts is still deeply questionable

The biggest sources of corruption are not just REAL ESTATE or ELECTION FUNDINGS as presumed. If u see clearly from where does this unaccounted money starts is not from politicians but it is from us. We have made a case where there is no accounting or Bill being paid to us for when we are in Barber Shop, Vegetable vendor, Stationary market or even in some juice bar. Now here is from where it all starts. Govt as usual takes Income tax or Sales tax from these people. These people show there income much much below what they are having in reality. So that particular person has some unaccounted income. Now she/he can’t spend this money publicly for eyebrows will be raised on the same. So as per recent trend they take some real estate property in some other state on some other’s name and make it a Tax evading heaven. For Singapore & Switzerland are for Bigwigs, Real estate is for small & medium ones.

Now the question is why Real estate is a crusader of Black money? Have we ever realised that why the price of lands increase on a monthly basis without having any logic other than that Demand has increased? Have we ever thought the reason for why we are ready to buy a 6 Marla Plot for some 80 Lakh in Gurgaon and why the company is selling it at that exorbitant price? Have we ever given a thought that why HUDA/PUDA Draw schemes have a single person getting 7 – 8 Plots & some not even having it for last 20 years? Has there ever been an outcry why there is not a single Real Estate regulatory body in this country rather than having Gandhi names 7 schemes on Housing? No No No

It is so because we ourselves are the real bunglers. We ourselves are buying & Investing Loads & Loads of money on buying real estate properties. We believe that it is a great source of income & rather than investing on share market lets invest there. Lets change the quote people ’CORRPUTION BEGINS AT HOME’ .

We vote for a MLA or MP who assures that Your son/ Daughter will be given a Sarkari Job, another biggest source of corruption. For becoming a sub inspector you need to pay Rs 10 – 15 Lakh and for some IAS/IIMs the fees is in Crores!!. Now if u are going to pay this hefty amt of money for a monthly salary of Rs 20,000 you need to become corrupt. So you start illegal activities, start bribing, you are not available for general public which in turn to get its work done have to again bribe you. This makes the whole public domain corrupt. Why nobody ever thinks that these Govt jobs should be made accountable and they should be under severe scrutiny? I guarantee if a strict amendment is done in this regard, it will solve scores of problems.

We talk of Lokpal. Good I appreciate that but why Arvind Kejriwal doesn’t talks about CAG, CVC, ED, CBI, IT etc which are already there to do the same work which he wants Lokpal to do? Why he doesn’t introspects that what has lead to the failure of these institutions by and large? Blaming Govt is not a solution Mr Kejriwal. Today have you analysed that only due to a strong Supreme Court, a fearless CAG and a superfast CBI has made a strong case for you to start a Janlokpal movement. The simple observation is  - ‘As the King, so the State’. Giving sweeping powers to Lokpal doesn’t makes a case for a strong anti – corrupt institution. I just request you not to push bill fast for slow & steady wins the race. Lets discuss it comprehensively and make it super successful, we all are with you & Anna jee.

‘Right to Recall’ is a good move but have we thinked a lot about it. If this thing is passed I think it will jeopardize the democracy. We have today peole from lower strata of society voting because they are being provided enough money & liquor at the time of elections. So if there is a right to recall it would be politically motivated and we will lose stability & growth. So why don’t have a ‘DUTY TO VOTE’ Instead. Make it compulsory for everybody to vote. Let country’s intellectuals, house wives, teachers, corporate, students VOTE. This will make a much much stronger democracy.

As per electoral reforms are concerned lets go the US way and make it public funding. Going away with multi party system is such an impractical, unconstitutional, unpolitical solution which I think ceases to exist even in Nightmares. The biggest irony which about nobody thinks is that in our Constitution there is not even a single clause dictating the roles & responsibilities of MLA, MP? This is obnoxious that even after 62 years we are not being able to make a clause on the same and our main focus is on increasing their salaries & allocation under MLADS, MPADS ETC. Making public a stakeholder will definitely make a case for responsible MP, MLA. Let’s make the term of these offices for 3 years and have a citizen charter for the same.

Let’s do away with reservations Congress? With due respect to the founders of Constitution, our aim has never been solved. Our main motto has been to bring them foreword socially and reservation is not a solution at all. Why rather than tagging them SC, ST, OBC we provide them education free of cost or at minimal cost? We provide them Good Housing and food? I am quite sure that if we just fulfill the psychological needs of the people, there will be no dearth of jobs for them. Rather than improving our quality of education we are making them all corrupt by creating social injustice. Rather than giving subsidy to the farmers on Diesel, Electricity, and Loans etc why don’t open agricultural R&D centers? Why don’t let them export or import with easy guidelines? Reforms will start from the Ground not the sky!

We are improving. The GST, UID, DMRC are some of the notable and remarkable signs that we want to become Brightest stars of the galaxy. Why can’t India be like Delhi Metro which is Honest, Punctual, Comfortable, and Affordable & is notably UN corruptible? They had envisaged a model which is from head to toe clean as Anna Hazare. Let’s have responsible people at the helms that can make us hope for a brighter India.

Media has a greater role to play. I was happy that Intellectual channels like CNN IBN, Time Now have shown great maturity in dealing with the issue of Jan Lokpal movement. But I want people to be more aware. There is a world beyond this media too. Let’s media be a partner in growth and not the champion. The champion has to be we the people of India.

There are people like Irome Sharmila who have all their life fought for causes which are greater than life. But we never think of them. We never raise our voices against BCCI or IHF which are the real Tormentors of the nation sports and we tend to burn our agony on the Players. Why can’t we have transparency in UPSC, CBSE? Is it difficult for these institutions to give us the answer sheets back? Not at all but we had made it a habit for ourselves. This puts me in Dock to ask Are we Indians Genetically corrupt?

The answer is NO. Acc to the studies of Respected Institutions like Transparency International, we are less corrupt than China, Australia & Japan. The only thing is that we have a vast potential. That is why we want us to be less corrupt so that we can strengthen our nation. We are still nascent but I believe that Youth has the power to change. Let’s support Anna by giving up financial corruption, let’s support him by protesting against atrocities, andlet’s support the great man by showing credibility & responsibility towards the country. The day is not far away when we all will be Proud to say ‘We are Indian’.

Jai Hind.