We, academics, activists, artists and intellectuals strongly condemn the recently reported statement made by Anna Hazareji in which he has brazenly endorsed Narendra Modi, a politician who not only symbolizes the politics of division but unconstitutional governance. For the veteran anti-corruption social activist, Hazare to endorse a politician against whom a Supreme Court led investigation into conspiracy to commit mass murder and rape, subversion of evidence and pressure and intimidation of key witnesses is still underway reveals a narrow and mercenary understanding of the meaning of corruption. Worse, given the support base of the recent high profile and highly televised event agitation, that included open support from Ram Madhav and the RSS as also Baba Ramdev, Hazare’s move could be construed as a bid to actually influence this SC-driven criminal investigation.
Modi stands accused, and has not been yet cleared of serious charges of actively masterminding mass murder, loot and rape of 2,500 of Gujarat’s innocent citizens consciously perverting his position and power as chief minister in 2002. This and other investigations have been rigorously pursued by victim survivors of these gruesome massacres and Hazare’s statement, more than anything else rubs salt on deep wounds. Not once in the nine years since the state sponsored carnage has Modi, who has written a tear-filled communication to Hazare wiped tears from the heavy hearts of Muslim victim survivors in Gujarat. Nor has Modi even apologized for failing to perform his Constitutional duty. On the issue of corruption and good governance too, Modi may yet fail the exemplary test. Allegations of serious corruption in state government schemes have been steadily documented and printed within Gujarat but have rarely made it to the headlines of national television. There has been little or no rural development in this state. In fact *gauchar *lands and irrigated farmlands have been stealthily taken by the government and sold off at ridiculous prices to a small club of industrialists. The ridiculously low interest loan given at the expense of five crore Gujarati taxpayers to Tata’s Nano project suggests a corrupt loan write off f public finances. The irony of Modi being hailed by the leader of the National Lok Pal movement is cruel since there has been no Lokayukta in Gujarat for nearly seven years! Hundreds of complaints against corruption are lying unheard in that state as the common Gujarati reels under his mercenary dictatorship. >From the *Sujalam Sufalam *scam of 1700 crores to the NREGS boribund scam of 109 crores, the fisheries scam of 600 crores, every department has been accused of being involved in thousands of crores worth of scams. The poor and rural people of Gujarat are being sold to Modi's small coterie of friends, the industrialists. The state is in terrible debt because of his largesse to industry while 21 lakh farmers wait for compensation for the land seized from them. How hen can Haraeji call Modi non-corrupt or hail his model of development? Little or no funds have been released by the GOG to the Minority Finance Development Corporation, even less to the Gujarat State Wakf Board. No figures are provided by the state government for funds allotted to the religious minorities. The corrosion and corruption in our system is not merely monetary but the subversion of the Indian Constitution and Constitutional Governance has been in large measure due to the unbridled and unchecked growth of state and non state actors who are sworn to partisan politics, ideology and governance. While their was more than some discomfiture felt by many of us when we saw this worthy anti-corruption movement being supported by RSS cadres and Baba Ramdev, guilty of amassing crores of money and property himself, this discomfiture increased as accusation of bus loads of supporters arriving to Jantar Mantar from Gujarat came in and finally dues were extracted by the ruler of that state, Narendra Modi, in the form of praise from Anna Hazareji. Teesta Setalvad, Rajendfra Prasad, Jawed Naqvi, John Dayal, Henri Tiphagne, Kamal Faruqui, MK Raina and others -- Teesta Setalvad 'Nirant', Juhu Tara Road, Juhu, Mumbai - 400 049 On Thu, Apr 14, 2011 at 11:58 AM, ram puniyani <[email protected]>wrote: > *Anna Hazare and Anti Corruption Upsurge* > > > > *Ram Puniyani* > > > > The nation has witnessed a huge spectacle from a section of visible > population with Anna Hazare’s fast for getting the Jan Lok Pal bill being > drafted and implemented. His fast unto death was an event in which not only > we witnessed the ‘Tsunami of Sentiments’ but was also used by media to > create an atmosphere as if it a ‘second freedom struggle’. While one can see > that the dissatisfaction of the people from the system was overflowing, one > also registered that this is a response to the massive corruption scams > which have been unearthed during last few years. While Government succumbed > to the mass pressure and the media projection, the whole episode also raised > many a questions about the message which the fasting and Jantar mantar > protest gave. > > > > In the whole event, the backdrop was provided by Hindu imagery of India as > Bharat mata, a Goddess. One hoped that such issues needing of worldly > grounding can have icons like Gandhi as the central projection. Gandhi as > the central backdrop of the movement would not only have given a correct > moral message but also had been equally welcoming to all the citizens of the > country irrespective of their religion. Gandhi as the backdrop would also > have reminded the leaders that corruption cannot be isolated from other > political dynamics which is leading to gross injustices to the poor and > marginalized of the society. > > > > Unfortunately the criticism of elected leaders and the doubting of the > democratic system itself were taken to the cynical extremes. People writing > on their hands that ‘Mera Neta Chor Hai’ (My leader is a thief) was one such > example where the attempt to denigrate the elected representative along with > the electoral process could be discerned. One concedes that there are > serious flaws in the electoral system, the money power, muscle power and > Corporate influence, but to paint all the leaders in the same brush shows > the warped understanding of a section of leadership of Jantar Mantar > movement. At the same time all the voters were insulted by stating that > people cast their vote just for the goodies they get in advance as if these > goodies are the core deciding points of election. Surely our electoral > system needs serious reforms but this type of projection also needs to be > seriously questioned. > > > > Then we have the issues of leadership of the whole event. We saw Anna > Hazare as the Supreme commander with associates like Baba Ramdev trying to > moralize the nation in the politics which is not so hidden by now. Baba > Ramdev is a partisan of a particular type of politics which bases itself on > religion and Baba in the clothes of a yogi is playing the role, which does > not promotes democratic values. Baba was accompanied by RSS leader Ram > Madhav. Sri Sri Ravishnker was also there. Both these Godmen are for the > construction of grand Ram Tmeple at Ayodhya, and that should be enough to > tell us their political leanings. Others in the core committee surely have > more objectivity but one does not know as to how much influence they could > exercise on the tilt being given by Annaji, Ramdev, Ravishanker and Company. > > > > Anna Hazare, in the centre of the whole event also projected his pro right > wing politics by praising Narendra Modi. One learns that Annaji has worked > in his village in an authoritarian way, keeping the caste and gender > hierarchical notions intact in Ralegaon Siddhi. His praise for Modi does let > the cat out of the bag. Narendra Modi has successfully created and image of > *honest* administrator but those who know the state better like Malika > Sarabhai, Chunibhai Viadya, Rohit Prajapati and Trupti Shah have pointed out > that in Gujarat the villages are suffering the rot, poverty levels are > abysmal, people are migrating to cities in large numbers and their lands are > being given to the coterie of Industrialists who are in the good books of > Modi. Lakhs of villagers are yet to get the compensation for the land which > has been taken away from them. The very definition of corruption needs to be > looked at while talking of Gujarat, as Industrialists are plundering with > both the hands and state exchequer is the major victim of Modi’s policies. > Instances of this abound, the massive subsidy to Nano being one major > example. > > > > Same Narendra Modi not only refused to appoint the Lokayukta in his state > and there are multiple unadvertised scams which are away from the media > glare. There are criminal accusations against this person who has been > called as the Nero by the Supreme Court, and who is authoritarian to the > core. With such a role played by Modi in the Gujarat carnage, with blood on > his hands, if someone can praise his work, it is not out of naivety, and it > is part of the political agenda of that person. Same Anna Hazare had praised > Raj Thackeray, the architect of violence in the name of language. As per > Annaji, Raj Thackeray’s ideas are correct but violence should not be > resorted to, forgetting that violence is a just an outcome of these > political formulations which Modi and Thackerays have. > > > > The massive mobilization and channelization of middle class angst is at one > level indicator of the deeper levels of frustration in the system. In this > whole upsurge there was a spontaneous expression of dissatisfaction and also > a planned mobilization all across to take advantage of the situation to > enhance the politics of those who have rode on the wave of section of > society mobilized earlier also. One recalls that Jaya Prakash Naryan’s > movement was much more broad based still it came to be controlled by the > RSS, and its Swayamsevak Nanaji Deshmukh became the central person. The JP > movement, irrespective of its noble intentions gave respectability to the > organization, whose member had killed Father of the nation, and which till > that time was looked down upon. Same way V.P.Singh’s tirade against > corruption was swept away by the politics of those who were out to demolish > Babri Masjid. Sitting on the waves of anti Corruption movement, both time > RSS and its political progeny became stronger to the extent of becoming the > second largest party in the country. > > > > Ironically in the whole episode while the ruling party and politicians as > such were being humiliated the other component of the corruption phenomenon, > the Corporate World and the industrial houses were really the beneficiaries > of the way anti corruption drive was projected. Corporate World got > exonerated by default, of all their crimes of getting around their ways > through corrupt route. During earlier decades when the economy was > controlled by state, the so called license-permit raj, it was said that > corruption is due to state control of economy. Now with globalized economic > scenario, the corruption has gone up to unimaginable levels, and the role of > Industrial Houses as being the equal party to the game remains hidden from > the scene. > > > > Corruption is the big scourge to the system. We do need to look beyond the > leaders and parties to realize that Corruption is primarily due to lack of > transparency of the system, lack of accountability of the elected > representatives and the very nature of our economic system and injustices > inbuilt in the social system. While one lauds the tremendous response to the > anti corruption movement, one can just hope that the sectarianism of Anna > Hazare should be totally bypassed and the religious tilt of the imagers > should be done away with. One hopes that while working on the Lok Pal Bill, > the collective leadership of the movement will take note of these points to > ensure that this movement does not meet the fate of two similar earlier > one’s and that Right wing divisive forces are kept at bay. > > > > -- > > Issues in Secular Politics > > II April 2011 > > www.pluralindia.com > > Response only to [email protected] > > > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "humanrights movement" group. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected] > . > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > [email protected]. > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/humanrights-movement?hl=en. > -- Teesta Setalvad 'Nirant', Juhu Tara Road, Juhu, Mumbai - 400 049 http://teestasetalvad.blogspot.com/ www.cjponline.org www.gujarat-riots.com www.sabrang.com -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "humanrights movement" group. 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