There is this word called serendipity which means happiness found accidentally. Same goes with Anna Hazare’s agitation, an issue found serendipitously and holding an elected government and parliament to the ransom.  While I am not defending corruption or those having power currently, the fact remains that timing of this agitation is highly opportunistic. While the Lokpal bill has been pending since the seventies, why to agitate now is the question? What was the motivation behind it?

In addition to this, I don’t like Anna Hazare’s attitude of “my way is the only way” and no other way exists. These so called members of the civil society, who now represent this entire agitation, I wonder from where they sprang up from. Never saw them commenting on any riot, or any disaster, or any other bad happening in our country.

Thirdly, there is a high danger of Lokpal being misused, since it is not an elected position. Who is going to appoint Lokpal? To whom Lokpal would be responsible to? What is the guarantee that Lokpal wouldn’t work in his/her own vested interest targeting only selected individuals? Setting up another institution is not the answer, I feel bringing in accountability in the present position and “proactive” voting is the key.

I have myself faced corruption firsthand, I have given bribes, or should I say I was forced to give bribes. Can’t imagine that any Lokpal in the world can affect me or those who are taking bribes. Who has the right to cast the first stone? Certainly not me, at least in the question of stemming corruption, and certainly not you. Why to agitate then, why not make people whom we elect more responsible and stop voting on the basis of caste, creed and religion? Would any Lokpal be able to stop this menace?

Lastly I would like to point out that no matter what we do; corruption cannot be stopped in this country until and unless basic structural reforms are carried out. A police constable getting Rs.5000 as monthly income being asked to stop taking bribes is something impractical. I wonder what Mr.Hazare would say to the families of those whose kit and kin are committing suicide due to debt, or those who are lost in terrorist attacks, or those who die due to the lack of basic facilities of health and hygiene. I am not attempting to belittle the problem of corruption, but the fact remains that until and unless we wake up en-mass to these problems, no other solution is possible in our multi ethnic and multi cultural society.

Lastly, I think we should try to strengthen our established institutions of Parliament and elected Government rather than root for a bunch of civil society activists as a panacea for all the problems facing this country. Lokpal or no Lokpal, corruption will exist till Ram is against Rahim, Khaps pass authoritarian orders and there is no one to stop them and till we are fragmented in our society.

(written during the years when the Lokpal agitation was its peak, this write up reflects my disenchantment with the so called ‘civil society’. May Arvind Kejriwal please answer…..)

Image courtesy punjaboutlook.com