Afraid of the common man's recent awakening and the huge support to the Jan Lokpal bill to curb corruption, political forces and vested interests are creating confusion in a bid to defame the people's movement. Within a week of the government bowing to public pressure on the bill, a smear campaign has been launched against civil society members of the drafting committee — a CD (allegedly fabricated) on Shanti Bhushan, allegations of huge expenditure incurred on Anna Hazare's fast at Jantar Mantar; and allegations of Mr. Hazare's links to the RSS are just a few.
All this shows that those Anna and his movement challenged are displeased. Because their claim that they alone are vested with the authority to decide what kind of legislation should be drafted to tackle corruption has been questioned. And because the powers of the executive have been diluted by the inclusion of civil society members in the drafting committee.
V.J. Nambiar,Jakarta
Instead of supporting the involvement of the masses in enacting a law on eliminating corruption, our politicians, including Congress leaders, are trying hard to divert attention by indulging in mudslinging. I am shocked, mortified and ashamed of our leaders. They are clearly against our democracy maturing.
Deepak Yadav,Bangalore
Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh wants to know whether politicians are not members of civil society. But politicians have failed to end corruption. Amar Singh wonders why Prashant Bhushan and Shanti Bhushan have not resigned from the drafting committee like Sharad Pawar did after he was accused of corruption. A propaganda has been let loose in Maharashtra that Mr. Hazare's action was at the behest of the RSS and that if the Congress had assuaged his feelings and praised him, he would have dropped his demand for a Jan Lokpal bill. Trust our politicians to make a hash of good intentions.
K.P. Rao,Chennai
The Lokpal bill is set to encounter stiff opposition from many quarters. People like Mr. Hazare should understand that corruption is entrenched in the system. A malice that has grown for over 60 years cannot be removed in 60 days. But the attempt to root out this evil is a good sign. Perhaps our great grandchildren will be citizens of an honest India!
M.V. Nahusharaj,Bangalore
In the recent weeks, there have been suggestions that all politicians and bureaucrats are corrupt. In the process, we have ignored the corruption encouraged by the common man, who is a member of civil society. Can we say with confidence that we have never paid bribes to get things done faster? Whether it is applying for a driving licence, passport or a LPG gas connection, we prefer to pay brokers and the payment includes bribes to be paid to officials. We are not ready to go through the hassle of following the procedures, which are fairly straightforward and easy. Ridding the nation of corruption is everybody's responsibility.
Srinivas Chandrashekaran,Bangalore
