Why Thousands are out to Protest in India

By ⋅ August 22, 2011 ⋅ Post a comment

Silent candle march to protest against corruption in India (flickr image: Deepankar Raj)

My father in Mumbai, India, a former military officer, isn’t your average street protestor. But he told me on the phone Wednesday, “If we don’t stop this, who will? The country is very unsafe when corrupt people are in-charge.”

Another friend who has taken time out to protest on the streets told me, “They’re doing this in Egypt, they’re doing it in Libya – why should we not get up and make our voice heard?”

I think both these voices represent the anger that many Indians feel towards the government there.

Anna Hazare, the veteran anti-corruption campaigner who refuses to leave his jail cell at the time of writing this blog, has become somewhat of a catalyst for people to come together and make themselves heard.

The focal point of protests is the draft legislation that would create an independent body with the power to investigate politicians and civil servants suspected of corruption.

The BBC reports that the final version of the bill was presented in early August, but Hazare and other activists rejected it because the prime minister and senior judges would be exempt from scrutiny.

In the past few years, corruption scandals have rocked the country time and again. The Commonwealth Games hosted in Delhi, for example, were supposed to be India’s coming out party. This was a message Indians wanted to send to the world about its rising economic success, about the ‘new India.’

But instead, the games turned out to be a sordid tale of corruption and mismanagement. Other ‘scams’ have included a telecoms bribery scandal that may have cost the government $39 billion. And allegations about homes allocated to war widows being diverted to civil servants and politicians.

Apart from the big ticket scams and scandals, corruption is a way of life in India. The BBC’s Rahul Tandon told Lisa Mullins about young men who he met at a slum in Calcutta. They told him that even getting a job in the police involved paying a huge bribe.

Arvind Kejriwal, another prominent activist, wrote in his blog a few days ago, “Our anti-corruption systems have inherently and intently been kept flawed. India needs a total overhaul of the anti-corruption delivery system.”

Some analysts have pointed out that an unelected group of people should not dictate to parliament what it should or should not do.

“The path (Hazare) has chosen is totally misconceived and fraught with grave consequences for our parliamentary democracy,” Manmohan Singh, India’s Prime Minister said in Parliament Wednesday criticizing Hazare.

The thousands of protestors converging in Delhi and other Indian cities don’t agree with Singh, it appears.

Discussion

13 comments for “Why Thousands are out to Protest in India”

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_OICNBZNAKTFYDPTJUZFLS2KXEI Chilakala S

    My request is all the retired and middle aged people who suffered in their life due to the Corruption should come forward and support this movement, so that at least the next generation that is the youth now protesting will be successful and the grand children of this unfortunate generation of India could give some thing back for the future of India.

    • hemant sajnani

      I THINK ANNA IS MR.INDIANNA, ALMOST INVISIBLE BUT PRESENCE BEING FELT EVERYWHERE.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Prashanth-Kumar-B-S/100001454174040 Prashanth Kumar B S

    We Are corrupt first not our leaders every one must be wondering  how.  I will tell You how we corrupt.  First education and next Health.  We pay unaccounted money to school has donation to kids admission and pay have amount on health recovery this money become’s black dis is real corruption.  We not Worried about the real corruption.   not only this but many more things

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Prashanth-Kumar-B-S/100001454174040 Prashanth Kumar B S

    We Are corrupt first not our leaders every one must be wondering  how.  I will tell You how we corrupt.  First education and next Health.  We pay unaccounted money to school has donation to kids admission and pay have amount on health recovery this money become’s black dis is real corruption.  We not Worried about the real corruption.   not only this but many more things

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Prashanth-Kumar-B-S/100001454174040 Prashanth Kumar B S

    So Think hard and prevent donation and dowry  

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Prashanth-Kumar-B-S/100001454174040 Prashanth Kumar B S

    So Think hard and prevent donation and dowry  

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Prashanth-Kumar-B-S/100001454174040 Prashanth Kumar B S

    Every body think of free road, free petrol, free food  every thing free will make us lazy 

  • aiswarya lakshmi

    i agree with Prashanth kumar sir….. its not just the leaders are corrupt but initially “we”( the people who elect the leaders) are corrupted in many ways like paying bribery for getting things done like taking license for vehicles, acquiring a fake community certificate, moreover keeping “tips” for the waiter in hotels which has become a custom nowadays is also the small factors for motivating corruption.., and the list is never ending!!!! its people who have to keep them self corrupt free and then struggle for a corrupt free nation!!! otherwise its of no use struggling for a LOKPAL BILL to be passed by government.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_T234YYWFF4XJJIBVDE7FQSRH4Y Hari ram Gutain

    I request all the retired,peaple who are free from family responsibility & young generation to participate actively in this revolution becouse country is at cross-roads.& will be ruined for ever.This is last opportunity to take this country out of morass of corruption.bravo Arvind ji. 

    • http://www.facebook.com/people/Sushmita-Paul/100001169086546 Sushmita Paul

      its not just the retied people dear….. its bout all of us….. we ll should unite 2gthr forgettin whthr we are retired,old,young, middle aged etc…only we can bring a change and that also 2gether…

  • Anonymous

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    England  and wales exchange belong to "British Derby" category, while the two  strength is a disparity between, but every Derby scenes are hot, so even if you  have abnormal England home court advantage also dare not lightly. Note that in  the last round wales beat powerful Montenegro  accident, this from a side help England  won the early promotion opportunities. Whether the England with "good for  evil" beat wales, locking in advance way for qualifying? As the game’s a  big attraction.
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  • Anonymous

    England vs  wales preview
    In  the euro 2012 qualifiers against a focus group G battle in London,  England  at the new wembley stadium against wales.
    England hope to be promoted
    In  the preliminary round of the last weekend exchange, England’s  3-0 won Bulgaria, but the  welsh are shock 2-1 in Montenegro’s.  England are currently  integral has reached 14 points, leading Montenegro 3 points in first. This  if beat wales and Montenegro,  England  would be ahead of will lock. Even if the draw with, if the black hills lose  three lions also to be able to qualify. For wales, group stages for the  embarrassing that they missed out on qualifying for the early of possible, so  the desire nothing,.
    British  Derby good for evil?
    England  and wales exchange belong to "British Derby" category, while the two  strength is a disparity between, but every Derby scenes are hot, so even if you  have abnormal England home court advantage also dare not lightly. Note that in  the last round wales beat powerful Montenegro  accident, this from a side help England  won the early promotion opportunities. Whether the England with "good for  evil" beat wales, locking in advance way for qualifying? As the game’s a  big attraction.
    The  three lions squad army stability
    Due  to a victory over Bulgaria,  and the British media predict fabio capello will not big adjustment squad. Scott Parker wear soft ground soccer cleats and Gareth Barry wear indoor soccer shoes central midfield pairing reassuring, so frank lampard wear artificial ground  soccer cleats will  continue to sit on the bench. Wayne rooney wear hard ground soccer cleats in attack by the state  and ASHLEY young wear firm ground soccer cleats starting and no suspense, Jermain Colin Defoe wear turf soccer cleats can  only for no playmaker. In wales, the most striking star Gareth Bale wear mizuno wave ignitus recovered from injury, he left in raid is worth a good protection fabio  capello. But at the same time, member general Craig Bellamy suspended from the  will to some extent, weakens the strength of wales. soccer cleats buy
    Both  sides injury woe situation:
    England: Steven Gerrard, Rio Ferdinand wear puma powercat 1.10,  glen Johnson, Danny Welbeck, darren  bent-Richard wear adidas f50 adizero prime
    Wales: Craig Bellamy (suspended)
    The  two sides are expected to start:
    England (4-5-1)  :
    Keeper:  Joe Hart wear adidas f50 adizero trx
    Guard:  Christopher Lloyd "Chris" Smalling  wear adidas adipower predator,  Gary Cahill, John George Terry wear nike soccer cleats , ASHLEY cole wear adidas predator x trx
    Midfielder:  Theo Walcott wear nike mercurial vapor superfly ii, Scott Parker, Gareth Barry wear adidas adipure iv trx, and  ASHLEY young, downing
    Striker:  Wayne rooney  wear nike mercurial vapor superfly iii
    Wales (4-4-2)  :
    Goalkeeper:  Wayne Hennessey wear puma soccer cleats
    Guard:  gent, Taylor, Collins, Williams wear nike tiempo legend ii
    Midfielder:  families rove watts wear mizuno soccer cleats,  Ramsey, ledley wear adidas soccer cleats,  bell wear nike ctr360 maestri ii elite
    Striker:  grace wear soccer cleats, Morrison shaw wear nike total 90 laser  iii

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Sushmita-Paul/100001169086546 Sushmita Paul

    Anna hazare is an example of our indian culture who is heartedly and entirely connected 2 our motherland……he has considered our village life as the basis of life as the city derives its origin and development from village….whatever he says he does that and we can very well see the example of it through the development done in rural areas….till now each and every indian has just read bout this in books but ANNA HAZARE has made it work through the villages and till the people in cities even…. the dream that each and every indian citizen saw that is of full freedom and a corruption free india is just coming true and that is all because of anna hazare… he has reached million hearts from rural people to urban people as well…. each and every class of people has come forward just to support him….he has reached the hearts of million…indians have now realized the value of being an indian… what india is?????? what we indians want????..DHANYAWAD ANNA HAZARE…whatever u did was d dream of millions bt they were just in dreams… but you have actually made it true…