-: Re: [rti4empowerment] Making accusations without substantiating them

Let us peep into Bhagwat Geeta which is indisputably impeccable to be followed by any one for a good being! More over we ( say minsisters and Mps) take oaths while ascending their positions promising to take care of the country and the people for ever! If the oath taking has any meaning/significance the situation would never have been brought to this point of no return ! All the more the 13 days have shown us that there was not a single leader among the 550 parliamentarians to rise to the need of the hour!

Geeta too teaches us of forebearence and ahimsa and that there is a limit for a human to streatch this limit ! Lord Krishna advocated violence (when the attempts by saama, Daan, Bhed, Dand all failed)to Arjuna (Pandavas) when all efforts to persuade them to see reason and offer minimum needs to pandavas! Pandavas in order to anihilate the evil kaurawas had to kill a few righteous great men like Bhishma, Drona (both highly revered and Gurus- Our members of parliament are akin to kauravas) ! In more or less in the same circumstances Ram and his aides had to, when all kinds of persuations failed, resort to kill Rakshasas including Ravana who had great powers including favours from Gods!
In the circumstances no one can say how or or what way anna and his team should have talked or behaved- the faults are undoubtedly weighing down against the powers that be!

The 13 days of mass movement had shown that we are extremely peace loving and that we are running out of patience and the only remedy to prevent flaring up is to deliver what were promised before freedom and thereafter! And whatever disturbances were created were at the instance of powers that be! It is only fortunate that there was no untoward instance, perhaps that was precisely what government was waitng for! Where did the 3 days and limit of 5000 people fixed by the police and if the blame for arresting anna was a police decision and they cannot interfere! why the powers that be interfered and released him.Why he remained in Jail for 2 days even after release! Why no action taken when numbers swelled to lakhs and days indefinitely extended ! (If fasting for a number of days is the issue one can do so undisturbed anywhere)

While"those in higher echelons" struggle for amassing illegal income 5-600 million struggle for a square meal every moment! With so much of moneys meant for them siphone and leaving them in such state the Elected representatives should only and no one else be held responsible! When powers that be brooding and discussing on projects of crores 5-600 million brood around as to where from the next morsel of food could come from.
We can't expect both to have a thinking process in resonence with each other! Our culture and charecters have since long been errode and polluted in search for survival!

Even the corrupt is aware, more than the general public, that what they are doing is crime but when they realize from the first few acts that there is no one concerned about it or that by sharing little bit of the booty the corrupt practices turn into a lucrative business whose partners are all corrupt thus! This becomes a syndicate and just like any other business they are interested in increasing their turn over and the illegal profit!! They eventually develop a confidence that they can do any thing ! Not only this they find that this is the most profitable business without any investment ! Bribe givers and bribe takers are aplenty!

I do not think any one would dispute the fact that there is rampant corruption all over and the same is directly proportionate to the level of power of the public servant/politician !

When we discuss or debate on topics we tend to forget that almost 60 to 70 % of our population are hand to mouth and below, 40% do not have means for even 2 square meals!
and we fail to carry their cause! We are blessed with the luxury of communicating through this net work but all that we communicate pertains to our level of being and above! This 60-70% population who probably line up to vote are brain washed by the politicians, even by corrupting by providing means to provide or promising to provide 2 square meals if you vote for so and so! Poverty, inadequate health measures, lac of provision of basic amenities
are all tools in the hands of the unscrupulous politicians who steer them to vote and once elected disappear into the cozy comforts of state capitals, district capitals, or capital itself
as if giving an impression that they are struggling with the powers that be to bring good to their constituency one day! The bggars sitting on road side do not have food to eat but spirited up by speaches of unscrupulous politicians till the day of voting. For such people voting day is the day for celebration though without food because the promises have streangth only till that day!. And in reality in many cases most of them could be busy maneuvering to promote their selfish interest ! A confidence that no one is watching us or that I can "mange" it with connections prompts them to make hay while the sun shines!

It is the voice that the people in authorities need to hear and not supporting documents which practically is not the cup of tea for the 60 to 70% of population who hardly make both ends meet! Fatigued they are, at least 50% of the population, from the daily grind,
helplessly fighting beginning from the ration shop upto collectors office, may not have eaten for days and expect him to collect or produce documents requiring finance from his non existent funds, with one person earning and several stomach to be fed! ( We have the "distinction" of having 1/3 rd of the world's poor in India!

Funds stolen and siphoned over the years would have been enough to see India poverty free but unfortunately as years pass the number of poor and starving increases more in proportion to growth in population! Elected representatives, as once Mr. Sibal commented
could help poor get admission to hospital and so on when in need amounting to say that the patient in agony should organize to chase the ever evading elected reps rather than go direct to the nearest hospital who would treat the patient without any red tapism!

Another intriguing point I wish to bring to the notice is the non particiapation of 1.25 govt employees when it comes to protesting! Is it becayuse they are sufficiently paid ? Or is it because of the fear of job? or is it because they loose the possible share of illegal income
that can be got!

Still people occupying coveted positions, supposed to be advising ministers and such dignitaries are rather advised to act on the doted lines! We find these people quietly complete their tenure and if possible extension ins serve and finally they are out of service
appear to be attempting to set right things!

I apologize if I have over reacted!

Iyer GA
--- On Sat, 3/9/11, Amitabh Thakur <amitabhth@yahoo.com> wrote:

From: Amitabh Thakur <amitabhth@yahoo.com>
Subject: [rti4empowerment] Making accusations without substantiating them
To: amitabhth@yahoo.com, "Amitabh Thakur" <amitabhthakurlko@gmail.com>
Date: Saturday, 3 September, 2011, 2:06 PM

Making accusations without substantiating them

Mr Anna Hazare is a big hero presently. After his marathon fast at Ram Lila ground, whatever he says and does makes great headlines in India. But, we also need to see what he is using his lately acquired power for.

On Friday (02/09/2011), Mr Hazare made a speech in which, as per various newspaper versions, he said-
1. Half the cabinet ministers were "frauds" and "liars
2. This P Chidambaram is a mischievous man. Chidambaram has lied many a time
3. The government is full of fools
4. Arvind is a dedicated soldier to the cause of nation-building. It is my sincere request that the government forgoes its plans to harass him.
5. Civil society would have to 'go on a war path' if the government did not give up its disruptive tactics

So, the disease of people making personal comments about individuals seems to have spread now to civil societies as well. Mr Hazare's speech might raise a few temporary thunderous applause but in my opinion, such statements will soon start diminishing his credibility. Instead of producing vague statements without enough documentary backing, it would be better if he presented actual facts and figures for suitable action. This becomes all the more important because now that Mr Anna Hazare is being respected all over India, it would be much better for him if he did not say such words like this. This is because the people have reposed their faith on Mr Hazare and this will yield some results when he talks in terms of some policies and principles instead of making irresponsible and irrelevant personal statements just to make the audience feel happy.

In fact, such a tendency of playing to the gallery has been there for a very long time in Indian political circles and this is among the important reasons why some of the political classes lost their credibility among the people. If respected people like Mt Hazare start using the same techniques and become the self-appointed character analysts, without substantially backing their words, they would only be doing a disservice to themselves and to the cause they are espousing for.

In fact, in my opinion we should all try to build a national character where we do not put unsubstantiated blames on others because it only belittles us. In fact I made some comments about Mr Hazare only on the basis of what has been reported in the Media and if the Media reports are false, my comments would also lose much of its sense. Secondly, I would like to make it clear that my purpose in writing this is not to accuse Mr Hazare but only to make us realize that the trend about irresponsible and irrelevant personal statements made by people only go making them look non-serious in the long run.

Amitabh
President, IRDS/
President, NRF
# 94155-34526