For the last 13 days there has been a lot of talk about the Jan Lokpal Bill. Anna Hazare is the modern-day Gandhi with his demand for eradication of corruption and his fast-unto-death methodology.
I have been observing both young and old rally the streets in support of the cause. And each time I have only one question – how many of them know the exact contents of the bill? You wouldn’t be surprised to know the answer – not many! Supporting Team Anna is the latest fad and ‘India Against Corruption’ is the ‘in-thing’ to shout.
Sorry to break your illusion but this is no modern-day freedom movement. This is India v/s India!
At the risk of being stamped a non-patriot, I am forced to say that I always found hunger strike no more than an emotional blackmail. How much more obvious could it get? It is unthinkable that the ruling party; whether Britishers for Gandhi or Congress for Hazare, would be inhuman to let a man die; especially when the entire nation is watching. And God forbid the hunger strike succeeds and the man dies, the opposition will waste no time before turning it into a political issue. They are cornered, and not convinced, to accept the demands. It is a win-win situation for the man on hunger strike.
Yes, it sounds like I support the government and corruption and not the bill. But read it once again. I am not against the bill, merely against the methods of a man who claims to fight for everyone’s rights. And I am against the way millions of people took to the fad without realizing the true nature of the cause. To quote Arundhati Roy from a recent article in Jantantra (http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:1xyRoj7K6U0J:jantantra.com/2011/08/22/arundhati-roy-on-anna-hazare-fast-and-maoist-struggle/+what+does+hunger+strike+mean+in+a+country+where+49+percent+children+are+malnourished+and+perennially+hungry&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=in&source=www.google.co.in), "Deep inside the forest in a tribal village, when 500 policemen surround and burn your village and there is no TV camera, you can't go on a hunger-strike. You can only fight back. In any case, can the hungry go on a hunger strike? What does a hunger strike mean in a country where 49 percent children are malnourished and perennially hungry?"
The Bill was passed day before yesterday. Hazare is being worshipped. But do we really need one more God in order to compete with the already present 330 million deities?
At the risk of sounding unpatriotic, I just have one question..isn't corruption too ingrained a problem to try solving it with the hunger strike of one man?
ReplyDeleteAnd really, a hunger strike to stop corruption..even by the sound of it, doesn't it sound foolish n a lill juvenile if i may risk saying so? But then again PR is definitely a politicians fortay! Not sure about God or goodness though!