That the UPA government has agreed to set up an informal committee to draft the Lokpal bill, in response to Anna Hazare's fast-unto-death demanding a comprehensive bill to fight corruption, is heartening. The committee should be headed by a competent person. He need not be an elected representative. He should have the intellectual honesty and sincerity of purpose to ensure that corruption is rooted out, the corrupt are given exemplary punishment and the money looted is restored to people, who are its rightful owners.
P. Balakrishnan,
Mangalore
Cometh the hour, cometh the man. Mr. Hazare's crusade against corruption and the manner in which people have responded to it are absolutely magical and mesmerising. The occasion offers a great opportunity for our politicians to get rid of corruption. Will our Prime Minister seize the moment?
A. Laxminarayana Rao,
Kannur
After over half-a-century, we have got a glimpse of the Gandhian era. Mr. Hazare's fast against corruption has given us an opportunity to teach our children the value of Gandhiji's teachings and the methods he deployed to fight the British.
G. Rajesh Gopal,
Chennai
The time is ripe to fight corruption. Years of lethargy have, thankfully, come to an end. People are becoming increasingly conscious of the ill-effects of corruption. One hopes hundreds of Anna Hazares will come forward for the selfless cause of fighting the social evil.
Satyanarayana Bairy,
Khammam
It is a matter of pride that a 72-year young man has come forward to uproot the evil called corruption. As Gandhiji said, “strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.”
Corruption is present everywhere. But people who have tried to speak against it all these years have been defeated. Many problems — from regionalism to internal terror — have their roots in corruption.
Priyanka Chakrabarty,
Guwahati
The government, sensing the nation's mood, has agreed to the veteran social activist's demands. Most Ministers are corrupt and need to be shown the door. People are also to blame for the present situation as they elect the corrupt politicians to power.
Let us resolve to vote for the best candidate from now on. In case we find no such candidate, let us exercise Rule 49-O.
R. Madhavan,
Chennai
Mr. Hazare has proved that non-violence, satyagraha and fast-unto-death are not just words meant to be part of textbooks in schools. They can be effective tools for fighting evils like corruption too. It is a welcome break to see visuals of people protesting against corruption, rather than the familiar pictures of politicians in damage control mode and a panel of experts discussing scams.
Rukmini Sah,
Mumbai
It is immensely heartening to see the youth of India supporting the anti-corruption crusade initiated by Anna Hazare. We salute him and pray that his bold and selfless stance should transform us into a people worthy of inheriting the noble tradition of our golden age. It is now or never!
Lily Anne Abraham,
Palakkad
Till yesterday, civil society thought corruption needed to be handled by the judiciary or political parties. However, this time round, the movement against corruption has been initiated by someone from civil society. Whether or not Anna succeeds, he has certainly reminded civil society of the role it is expected to play in governance.
Rashmi Salpekar,
New Delhi
Mr. Hazare's fast to force the government to bring out a stringent Jan Lokpal bill attracted support from all corners of India. Today, corruption has become honest politics. The CBI investigation into the spectrum scam is thanks largely to the Supreme Court. The government should accept Mr. Hazare's demand for an independent investigating agency against corruption.
B. Vishwanatha Rao,
Hyderabad
Overnight, Mr. Hazare has become the toast of the nation. He deserves a thunderous applause for his never-say-die battle against corruption.
Politics has become the most lucrative profession today. It seems the political class can do anything and get away with it. Scores of tainted politicians across the political spectrum are walking free. If the Jan Lokpal becomes a reality, many skeletons will tumble out of the closet.
S.M. Anwar,
Thiruvananthapuram
It is good to find Mr. Hazare getting overwhelming support from all sections. But it is not encouraging to see people blindly criticising the political system although political corruption is the mother of all corruption.
All I am saying is eventually it is the political system with which we have to work if the country is to function. Our leaders do not belong to another planet. They represent us. It is for us to make the right use of our vote. In the absence of that, support for such movements would be hypocrisy.
P. Jagadeeshwar Reddy,
Mahabubnagar
Even if thousands of Anna Hazares come to the forefront to fight corruption, there will be no corruption-free India unless all of us take a pledge to end corruption in the country.
J.V.V. Satyanarayana,
Visakhapatnam
I am at a loss to understand how, by just by passing a Bill, we can root out corruption. Our mindset should be right if a law is to create any impact. How can we criticise politicians and bureaucrats, as if they alone are corrupt?
How often do we wait at traffic signals even if there is no policeman around? Don't we say ‘no' to bills to avoid paying the sales tax? If the change begins at the top, it may not sustain itself. The change should start from the lowest rung.
Panchaksharam Selvarajan,
Chennai
Mr. Hazare's crusade against corruption is commendable. But can corruption be eradicated by such symptomatic treatment accompanied by the boosting of generalised cynicism against politics and politicians alone? Unless the root cause of the systemic nexus of the rich and powerful, many of whom are apparent supporters of civil society organisations, is uprooted, how can corruption be eliminated?
Is it not more important to lead a crusade for insulating the electoral system from the influence of the rich and powerful?
Kasim Sait,
Chennai
