Why is Team Anna targeting the PM?
A combative Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has said he would quit politics if charges of corruption in allocating coal blocks, levelled against him by Gandhian activist Anna Hazare’s anti-corruption team, are proved.
Singh has been criticised in the past for not doing enough to curb corruption in the government, but the one thing that has never been questioned, even by his detractors, is his integrity.
So why is Team Anna going after Singh? Especially since the allegations are based on a federal auditor’s draft report in which there is no direct proof of corruption or gains made by the prime minister.
Public support for Team Anna has waned considerably in recent months and the activists are not without their own closet skeletons.
They have been criticised for their generalisation of the political class and officialdom as corrupt, their over-simplified view on how to fight corruption and use of crass language, like when senior member Prashant Bhushan called Singh “Shikhandi” (a mythological character in the Mahabharata) to describe him as someone who shields corrupt officials.
This is a far cry from last year when Hazare launched his first hunger strike to demand the creation of an anti-corruption ombudsman. It ignited country-wide protests against corruption and round-the-clock coverage by the media.
Enthusiasm has gradually waned after some bizarre comments by Hazare (including asking people to slap corrupt officials and calling for public flogging of alcoholics), his reported affiliation with right-wing groups like the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and frequent clash of statements by team members on important issues.
More than Lokpal, does Anna need a speech writer?
The self-styled crusader against corruption, the “modern Gandhi” — Anna Hazare — has managed to pick on one of the most marginalized sections of Indian society. While pitching for a strong Lokpal Bill on Tuesday, Hazare resorted to an unfortunate idiom about childless women, when he said, “Banjh kya jaane prasuti vedana (what would an infertile woman know about labour pain)?”
However the word in Hindi, “banjh”, does not have the same clean and scientific connotation as “infertile” or “sterile”. It means “barren” and is used as a derogatory term for women who fail to bear children. A woman who does not produce a child loses her social status inside and outside the house. While the ostracism in urban India may not be as obvious, contempt for childless women is reinforced through colloquialism and Bollywood.
Popular culture still depicts women who don’t reproduce, even if it is out of choice, as incomplete and good-for-nothing. It is not uncommon for infertile women to be barred from baby shower or child-naming ceremonies as they are considered the harbingers of ill-omen. Even if the husband is infertile, the wife ends up shouldering the blame for a childless marriage and is often subjected to treatments ranging from exorcism to numerology. Subordination, violence and estrangement are all likely consequences of infertility for a woman.
74-year-old Anna Hazare, who has spent most of his life in rural India, would certainly be aware of the stigma a “banjh” carries. And, while he promises to push India towards a glorious, evil-free future, how can he sustain a campaign on the back of older-India’s prejudices?
Neither has this been Hazare’s only controversial statement. Lately, he has come up with remarks that should alarm any self-respecting non-violent activist — advocating flogging for alcoholics and death penalty for the corrupt.
Maybe it is time that the “Gandhian” in Hazare actually took a leaf out of Mahatma Gandhi’s book who worked towards both political and social emancipation. Or maybe, he just needs a new speech-writer.
This write up seems to have been written just to criticize the great crusader … ! Otherwise the use of the world “Banjh” by Anna is befitting the context and so are his remarks; “advocating flogging for alcoholics and death penalty for the corrupt.”
Navigating the obstacle course of India’s SimCities
The Indian government is belatedly waking up to the fact it needs to build new cities and industrial hubs in order to sustain the growth that is supposed to propel the country to super economy status in the 21st century.
But it might be a case of too much, too late as India sets out to build 24 new, industrial cities along a planned dedicated freight corridor from the political capital, New Delhi, to the financial capital, Mumbai priced at a cool $90 billion. Costs aside, it’s a big ask in a country known for its mulish bureaucracy and maddening red-tape, its violent protests over land, and endemic corruption. Even building a bridge (like the Mumbai Sea Link) or highways (like the Golden Quadrilateral) in India can be a struggle.
But a handful of Indian civil servants tasked with making the SimCity dream a reality seem determined to chart a path through the obstacle course of Indian development projects.
Here are six reasons why they might be successful.
De-risking Indian infra projects
“There is no poverty of funds in the world to my mind,” said Amitabh Kant, who heads the Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) project. “There is a poverty of well-structured projects.”
In India that means two things: getting the land in place first – the number one hurdle for any development project – and then trudging through the slow process of getting the clearances, like the 44 clearances needed for a single power plant.
This would go a long way to de-congest the cities.
http://www.chapter18.wordpress.com
from Photographers Blog:
Born free
By Adnan Abidi
The joy of being born in a free country is a gift I received from those who sweat and bled in the struggle for Indian Independence. I accept the fact that I do very little to appreciate that gift. The most I do is fly a kite on August 15th, like many others. Quite a few of my fellow 'post-independence born' countrymen have little clue about the struggles our martyrs undertook to achieve what, today, we enjoy with much ingratitude. Freedom has been taken for granted.
The first struggle of Indian Independence was unknown to me, the second, as popular support named it, was the one I witnessed. It was when a 74-year-old Gandhinian, Anna, mobilized a crowd of over a million to crusade against corruption they say has infiltrated to the very roots of the Indian administration.
It was a much-watched movement that kept most of the country glued to their televisions for thirteen days. The media became a window for the 1.21 billion population. And I, as part of that window, got a chance to hold up Anna Hazare's campaign to the world. The call against corruption came on the same day that India achieved its independence back in 1947, and in the same month as Ramadan, which fell in August this year. Following tradition, I was celebrating my independence by flying a kite when I received two calls -- one from a fellow colleague, who informed me that Anna Hazare was praying at Rajghat, and the second from my Amma (mother), who asked me to get dates and fruits, traditionally eaten to end the day’s fast. I was at a crossroads and I had to choose my path.
Handing over the kite's string to my friend I rushed home, picked up my gear and headed to Rajghat, forgetting about the dates I was asked to bring. Mahatma Gandhi's memorial isn't a place I often visit unless on an assignment. So it was that day, when yet again I realized I was one of the last photographers to reach. I shot many frames from all possible angles.
Generations before me had witnessed the power of Indian media as it was instrumental in bringing about the required change. What follows is one such example.
the pictures taken are really beautiful!!! they capture the feel of each situation!!! and beautiful write up too!!!
Technology – India’s quiet anti-corruption crusader
Technology, not protest marches, might be the biggest eradicator of corruption in India where under-the-table bribes thrive in the world of face-to-face transactions. Many facets of India’s government still operate in Dickensian offices where floor-to-ceiling stacks of paper files can provide good cover and easy excuses for “delays” that only a sweetener of a few hundred rupees can cut through.
Anger over this reached fever-pitch when thousands of protesters across the country recently took to the streets for days demanding tougher anti-corruption legislation.
But a less vociferous, potentially as potent march is also underway – the computerisation of India’s vast government network, which when completed at all levels of administration could strip away much of the power that individuals have to elicit bribes or take cuts from others.
Social commentator Madhu Kishwar recently wrote of a classic example in the Indian Express: Municipal officials all over India systematically fleece citizens by sending highly inflated house tax bills. I recall that several years ago, one of my neighbours, let us call him Mr X, received a house tax bill of Rs 1.65 lakh for a small, two-bedroom flat in South Delhi. In sheer panic, he approached a local political worker who claimed “good connections” with municipal officials. This man then went and brokered a deal with the concerned babus. Mr X was asked to pay Rs 25,000 in order to get the 1.65-lakh demand reduced to Rs 7,000 per year. He accepted the deal gladly because it appeared to him as if he was receiving a big favour, even though the falsely inflated bill was actually just a device to frighten him into paying a bribe.
With the introduction of online property tax portals in some municipalities several years ago, where fees are clearly stated and can be paid directly, this kind of manipulation has been eradicated in one stroke. But there are still areas where this service is not available.
A successful entrepreneur from Mumbai told me how several years ago he had gone to the tax office to file his return. He was ushered into a small private cubicle where a smiling soft-spoken official questioned why he was paying so much in taxes, insinuating that the businessman could claim less on paper as long as he gave a little something in return.
“Now I pay my taxes directly online, avoiding such cosy conversations, thank you very much,” he said.
Truly, digitization in various government departments can take us half-way to eradicating the corruption. Most of the corruption at grass-root level of society is due to human-intervention in various services, be it passport issuance, or driving-license or others. Technology, by reducing human-intervention in such cases, can surely help in keeping a check on corruption at basic levels. Moreover, in case of corruption at other levels, technology (like the Right to Information Act)offers great help in keeping a check on corruption. Even with Lokpal and other similar bills, technological intervention is necessary for proper implementation.
VIDEO: Reactions to Anna Hazare’s agitation
Anna Hazare’s fast against corruption united tens of thousands of people across India. The social activist is now recovering from the near-two week fast in his home village of Ralegan Siddhi in Maharashtra. But the government still faces the challenge of passing the Lokpal Bill. Reuters spoke to a few people on the streets to get a sense of what the common man thinks about the anti-corruption debate.
The self defined and proclaimed “TEAM ANNA” (excluding Anna jee himself), are nothing but a TEAM of loosers and non achievers assembled together to attain their individual self goals of achieving quick success in life and to be heard and seen by us common citizens. yeah….it is… can’t you all see…! well, Mr Kejriwal, a man who left his job halfway, betrayed his very job. His obsession for being in public life is very much obvious. He wants to fight a battle by imposing his own preferred (favourably bent ) rules in the battle field just like a kid in the house who wants that everyone in his house must play the game by his laid down rules or should be thrown out of the house. He seems to be afraid to play the game by the rules that have been laid down and acknowledged worldwide. Mr Shisodiya and Ms Shazia, betraying their job (of a Journlaist) by trying to gain extra milage by taking undue advantage of the previlage their job gave them. Mr. Kumar Vishawas, a poet by profession as he claims, (god knows what worth he as written so far) trying his best to gain publicity (may be to market his name/articles/books in future). Mr. Prashant Bhushan, a not so successful lawyer – politico (as his father) , portraits a picture of a depressed man picking up random agendas (thanks to the PIL culture) with a single point objective to be in the news and Ms Kiran Bedi, let down by the system (she was unable to become the Delhi police chief despite her clean image and hard work).
My humble advise to Anna jee is that lead the way for us (not for TEAM ANNA) with full command and authority. You have a cause, and you have the experience to take it to conclusion. Remember, when you sat on fast for the first time, all followed you. We did not come there for all the above individuals. So why you need to consult these individuals now, why you have to take their advise and follow their plans and strategy? The fight is simple…yes I mean it…it is very simple. Call upon the masses, plan and discuss with the masses in open, include the people and your cause will see the light of the day one day and if these individuals want to follow you , they are most welcome. However, if they intend to become your guardians, then it is a concern to be worried about for all the citizens who have great faith in you.
(someone pls translate this to Marathi please for Anna to read)
Defining democracy: the challenge on Independence Day
As India celebrates her 65th Independence Day, a potential spat between the government and members of so-called “civil society” raises important questions about the dichotomy in a democracy.
It is a tough balance between giving citizens the right to protest and making sure those protests don’t impinge upon the very rights a democracy guarantees.
Police on Monday denied permission for veteran social activist Anna Hazare to renew a fast to the death in New Delhi. Police say Hazare, who is campaigning for tougher laws against corruption, failed to meet certain conditions to conduct a mass fast.
While police conditions include ending the fast in three days and limiting the number of Hazare’s supporters to 5000, Team Hazare is relentless.
Kiran Bedi, a former police officer and an activist with Hazare, has said on local television the group is ready to court arrest, but will press on with the fast even if permission is denied.
Indeed, in a democracy, citizens must have the right to protest and make their voices heard. In that respect, Bedi’s argument holds.
However, the government’s arguments are not without credence. Several factors, including crowd control and traffic management, are also the responsibility of a democratic government. The police, therefore, has the right to impose certain restrictions on citizens, if they feel a particular action may threaten safety.
Graft charges bite as Mayawati eyes polls
By Annie Banerji
While the government of India announced austerity measures in July to rationalise its expenditure in an attempt to meet its fiscal deficit target, the chief minister of the northern state of Uttar Pradesh didn’t seem to get the message.
Mayawati, popularly known as the “untouchables’ queen” for her championing of poor, lower-caste Indians, has spent over $4 million from the state’s contingency fund without budgetary approval on renovation and new construction at her bungalow.
This year, her government will spend more for her house, personal security and comfort.
In its recent report, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India criticised the chief minister for gross financial mismanagement on memorials of her mentors and infrastructure and irrigation projects, which led to a loss of millions for the state exchequer.
After three short stints in the country’s most populous state between 1995 and 2003, many have started pointing fingers at her governance at the end of her fourth term in office. The increasing crimes against women, Dalits and protests by farmers against the government’s land acquisition policy raised a number of eyebrows even at the judicial level.
“The series of events shows lethargy and lackadaisical attitude of the state government,” the Indian Supreme Court’s judicial bench observed against the manner in which her government proceeded in acquiring land in rural hinterlands.
Sorry for being blunt, but the greed of the lower caste is no different from the greed of the upper caste.
Looting the government’s coffers seems to be a very Indian phenomenon.
PM, Sheila Dikshit caught in the eye of another storm
By Annie Banerji
With greying hair, humbly garbed in a sari and a smile that adorns her grandmother-like appearance, 73-year-old Sheila Dikshit finds herself in the spotlight over the Comptroller & Auditor General’s (CAG) report, right after combating the Shunglu Committee report.
The CAG had hauled up the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) for the appointment of Suresh Kalmadi, now in jail, as chairman of the Commonwealth Games Organising Committee in 2004 despite “serious objections” from within the government.
The auditor also held the chief minister of New Delhi culpable for her “active involvement” in causing a loss of almost $6.9 million in wasteful expenditure due to “irregularities”, “favouritism” and “bias” in sanction of contracts for projects in the capital’s beautification process last year.
The report also slammed the government on select projects that led to a loss of $111 million.
“We demand that Sheila Dikshit should resign, and if she does not, she should be sacked,” said Bharatiya Janata Party spokesman Ravi Shankar Prasad.
“Such huge allocations would not have been possible without the consent of the cabinet committee, cabinet sub-committee, group of ministers (GoMs), expenditure committee, finance committee and the PMO. Their role should be probed,” he added.
But this blog is about Sheila Dixit.
Whether the BJP has an ulterior motive or not or maybe even the CAG, the Congress better show that it is trying to get to the bottom of it. So far it has been content throwing muck back at the BJP.
National money goes down the drain. But its ok if the BJP is also corrupt? Red herrings all!
@sashayz, let me have the pleasure of adding as you requested.
4. Hazare doesn’t believe in parliamentary democracy and believes more in a dictatorial form of govt. Read his press interview advocating tying up men and flogging & caning them for indiscipline.
5. Kejriwal was reported to have dodged taxes to the tune of Rs. 10 lacs and his reputation as a fund collector for NGOs is in question.
6. Kiran Bedi as you well know admitted herself to have defaulted on amassing unaccounted wealth through presenting inflated bills.
7. Bhushans are yet to clear their names at the court for non-payment of property tax.
8. Baba Ramdev owns an island in Scotland, let alone talking about his dubious credentials as ‘yoga medicine’ manufacturer.
Last but not the least, sashayaz (unfortunately) is sold only half the newspapers in India.