People sound alert for India's Politicians

New Delhi, Sep 11(ANI): The twelve day fast and agitation against corruption by Anna Hazare has electrified all of India. People from all walks of life, from all strata of the society, rich and poor, reacted and responded to the call against corruption as never before.

The nation was united and reacted as one. A situation of near frenzy, if not uprising, was nearing when better sense prevailed over the government to defuse the agitation and deal with issues raised by the agitation.

Throughout the period that the agitation lasted, it became clear that the politicians of India were no longer in touch with reality and the mood of India's people. The people seem to have had enough of the politicians and their promises.

People have also seen how the quality of life of any ordinary local "neta" changes as soon he or his party comes to power. People know that corruption feeds change. The politicians seem to believe that people are prepared to tolerate their misdeeds.

Yes, the people of India have a great amount of tolerance. Blame India's culture or the people's belief in their fate for this kind of tolerance of evil in society. When Anna Hazare launched his agitation from Jantar Mantar, the Government was smart enough to diffuse it by inviting Anna Hazare and his team to work with the Government in drafting Lok Pal Bill.

Taking advantage of the situation created by the Government's mishandling of the drafting of the Lok Pal Bill with Anna Hazare team, Baba Ramdev tried to project himself as a greater fighter against corruption. He had his own followers backing him, but then the people at large know that he is not an activist like Anna Hazare.

The Government was able to dislodge Ramdev from the Ram Lila ground with a heavy hand and get away with it only because Ramdev had many chinks in his armour.

Corruption has eaten into the vitals of India. How do you expect the policemen to work honestly if for their recruitment they have to bribe and to stay in their job too they must bribe all the way. And here, begins the story of the poor law and order situation in the country and the nation's failure to fight terrorism which only bleeds the innocent.

Why has India failed in its efforts at police reforms? The answer to that can only be because of the politicians' failure to do their job. The people feel that many of these politicians are getting fatter by the day through corrupt practices. They do not seem to have the time to ensure good governance.

Anna Hazare, frustrated with the Government's response to his appeals to accept the Jan Lokpal bill draft of the civil society, announced plans to launch his agitation again. Some in the Government thought that he could be dealt with in the same manner as Ramdev and responded clumsily. They arrested Hazare and his team members, and moved him to Tihar jail.

When Anna Hazare refused to move out of the jail, even after his 'release' India was electrified. In one foolish move, the Government of India stood exposed. How so ever the Government tried to shout from house tops that it was sincere in fighting corruption, the people of India were not prepared to believe it.

A Government led by one who has an impeccable record of honesty stood condemned in the eyes of the nation for the ham- handed manner of arresting Hazare. The rest is history.

Once Hazare appeared on stage at the Ramlila ground, people all over India rallied around his cause to have a corruption free India. People too know that the Jan Lok Pal is an issue that leads to the bigger cause of fighting the corruption in totality.

That we need a Lokpal cannot be denied for the manner in which India's economy has been managed in the years since independence, and more so since the so called liberalisation started. There is too much at stake. We need a system that is transparent and corruption free.

That the rulers of India and even opposition parties were totally out of touch with the ground realities can only be judged by the quality of debates that were taking place during the days that the fast lasted.

Faced with a ground swell of anger all over India and possibility of serious violence erupting all over India if something happened to Hazare, the politicians from all sides agreed to bow to the will of the people. The consensus of the Parliament to the three basic demands of Anna Hazare is to be seen in that light. The people of India have had enough of corruption and corrupt politicians.

All those who led a chorus of accusations that Hazare was challenging the right of Parliament to enact laws for the country were only proving how far they were cut off from the mood of the people. At no point was Hazare suggesting usurping the rights of Parliament or its members.

He has successfully articulated what the people of India expect from their elected representatives. That, to many of the elected representatives, is anathema? They are too used to making promises at election time and forgetting them once they enter the hallowed precincts of Parliament House in New Delhi or the Assemblies in the states.

With almost all the political parties of India being run as family fiefdoms, the politics of India has tragically moved back into the feudal era. One of the greatest achievements of independent India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru was that he was ably to rid India of its feudal systems, the princes, the jagirdars and the zamindars.

Little would he have dreamt that one day those feudal families would be replaced by what have come to be known as "political dynasties". Just as the feudal lords of yester years would hardly know as to how the people at large felt about them so is also the case with the "feudal" netas of today. If the courtiers surrounded the feudal lords, it is the sycophants who surround the so-called popular netas today.

One the greatest assets of Indian democracy, has been the independent media. Politicians have tried to control it, but failed in their attempts. The media help the people to judge the events. Politicians could be in touch with daily reality if they choose, but their attempts at managing media only take them so much further away from the people.

The Governments, both at the Centre and in the states, have yet to come to grips with the reality that the people of India want immediate action to fight the scourge of corruption. We have yet to see any action to improve governance, which is the root cause of corruption in India.

The Government does not have to wait for the Lokpal Bill to be passed to announce for each of the Government department a code under which they must function. Time bound action should be made incumbent upon Government departments dealing with the public.

That the country also needs electoral reforms is a fact conceded by almost all political parties. Should we wait for another agitation to be launched by Anna Hazare to start work on electoral reforms? The Election Commission of India itself could initiate action and prepare a draft paper that could be adopted to usher in the much-needed reforms.

The system should be able to weed out the corrupt and criminal elements from the political scene of India. Not that it can be totally possible, but a lot can be achieved. An annual audit of the accounts of all the political parties and the monies they receive ought to be a transparent affair.

It is high time that the political parties restore inner party democracy allowing natural, competent and honest leaders to emerge. That alone can restore trust between the people and the politicians, and remove the threat to the Parliamentary democracy as we know and have it today.

Perhaps out of all this churning a new corruption free and truly democratic India is making its way towards a new dawn. (ANI)

Attn: News Editors/News desks: Mr. Prem Prakash is a senior commentator and Chairman of By Prem Prakash ANI.