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Jantar Mantar. Delhi. April 2011. I was there.
I should probably put these words on a T-shirt and wear it proudly for posterity, lest I forget the electric atmosphere and appetite for change I witnessed in that magical time and place. Clearly, Annasaheb Hazare and members of his coterie – most of whom have enviable credentials – had captured the imagination of the nation. At least for the time being.
Cornered by Annasaheb’s potent nonviolent protest, the Union government took the unprecedented decision to discuss the formulation of the Lokpal Bill with “Team Anna.” This event in itself will be remembered as a symbolic milestone in Indian democracy. The subtext: the highest elected body of the land was meeting self-nominated civilians to discuss a legislative matter – the formation of a nominated quasi-constitutional body with extraordinary powers to investigate and prosecute charges of corruption in the highest echelons of the government. Was this really happening? Yes, it was.
Given how the government behaved during the discussions and shortly thereafter, it is quite clear that it just wanted to buy enough time to dissipate the social energy generated by Annasaheb. During the process, it also tried its best to discredit all members of Team Anna and also highlight the Parliament’s sovereign right to legislate laws. It was too late for that. Once the government cocked a snook at Annasaheb, he returned to the waiting arms of the public – yes, they were still waiting, contrary to the government’s calculations. And this time, Annasaheb wanted the protest to be larger, nothing short of a “second Independence movement.” Unbelievably, his groundswell of support had increased in the interim. In a moment of panic, the government arrested Team Anna and sent it to Tihar Jail, which currently houses the biggest corruption-practitioners of the era. This only enraged the protestors. The government sunk into a deeper panic and hastily released everybody. In the process, it gave Annasaheb the permission to stage his fast in the accommodating expanse of the Ramlila ground in the capital.
By this time, the media had fallen in love with what’s promising to be the biggest story of the year, perhaps the decade. Self-appointed intellectuals lamented that the media had amplified a feeble phenomenon, conveniently forgetting that the India media is too corporatised to chase news that’s not newsworthy. Meanwhile, a section of the media and the elite accused the movement of being “unsophisticated” (so was the French Revolution), “middle-class” (as if this in itself is a sin) and “self-righteous” (as if any of us have escaped this particular sin).
In the past few days, it has been proven beyond doubt that this movement has extended beyond the middle-class. Other than the much-highlighted dabbawallahs of Mumbai, the movement has also inspired poor people who pay bribes to Public Distribution System officials to get their allotted share of subsidised food products. Reports from rural India suggest that it is onboard, though not as vociferously as the urban areas. Indeed, appreciable segments of the urban web-enabled masses have risen from their Twitter/FB-haunches and shown up at the chosen venues of protest in every major Indian city. In the middle of work week, they’ve stood in the rain and mouthed rousing slogans such as Inquilab Zindabad and Vande Mataram.
Whether they realise it or not, these people are demanding that the government undergo a paradigm shift – they’re no longer happy with representative model of democracy; they want it to be participative. This is a mammoth responsibility, a process that transcends a single issue (corruption) or the leadership of the icon of the moment (Annasaheb). It demands the maturity to accommodate diverse, often conflicting, ideas. As a starting point, I’d ask the people wanting to make this transition to a participative democracy to consider the following mantras:
1. Set an example
If you don’t like corruption, then don’t bribe. Protests have an audience. Corruption usually doesn’t. So do you behave honourably when nobody’s watching? And I don’t just mean refusing to bribe the traffic cop. Do you, for instance, occasionally become your boss’ Yes Man? When a government servant does the same, it can be construed as a form of corruption. Think about it.
2. Don’t idolise any individual
The army background and moralistic outlook of Annasaheb Hazare has led to a greener, more prosperous Ralegan Siddhi. Unfortunately, it has also tinted the place with authoritarianism (exhaustive details available here). Despite the current euphoria, please remember that no social upheaval, however desirable and benign, should impinge on the right of the individual. More specifically, the office of the Lokpal cannot, under any circumstances, be allowed to operate with impunity. Annasaheb is already acting thus by setting a deadline for passing a new law. Should this be acceptable?
3. Consider implementation angles
So you’re convinced about the necessity of the office of the Lokpal. Fine. Now consider this:
• Give any public office a free rein, and allow enough time for it to decay, it will sprout characteristics that countermand the welfare of the people. Are you sure that an institution that interfaces with a murky political establishment, on a daily basis, will remain clean? How will you ensure that? In other words, who will watch the new watchdog? While answering this question, remember that the Lokpal Bill is likely to be amended in the years to come. It’s not enough to say that the current draft is good enough.
• The nominated members of the Lokpal will be, at best, honest and ideologically-driven or, at worst, secretly greedy. Will they therefore have the aptitude or attitude to steer what promises to be another bureaucratic institution? Will they have the managerial skills, tenacity and PR skills to run a rapidly-growing institution (assuming the entire rank and file of the government comes under its purview)?
4. Don’t belittle institutions
No matter how much make-up we apply over it, the fact remains that Annasaheb’s protest is a challenge to existing democratic institutions. Comparisons with the Mahatma are ill-advised. Gandhiji was fighting imperialism. Annasaheb is fighting a dysfunctional democracy. It’s just not the same. We couldn’t elect a new colonial master. We can, however, elect a new government. So Annasaheb’s movement can be seen to address the unresponsiveness of our elected governments. Therefore, consider:
• Theoretically, the Indian Constitution is robust and visionary. The trouble has been in its implementation. Do you think the Lokpal can wave a magic wand – which the PM lacks, by his own admission – and set things right? Isn’t it a better idea to clean up existing institutions than introduce a new one?
• The biggest achievement of the Indian political class has been its ability to numb the masses into silent surrender. Now that you’ve given this class a healthy dose of stage fright, will you not wait for a better performance? They may be more eager to put on a better show than you think. Democracies around the world have demonstrated that governments operate at the level of efficiency people demand of them.
• We’re usually asked to elect the least terrifying politician to represent our constituency. In other words, we aren’t given a real choice. But do you know that dedicated activists are clamouring for the amendment of Rule 49-O of The Conduct of Election Rules? As of now, this rule allows a voter to record his decision not to cast his vote for any candidate. This rule could be amended to call for a re-election if enough people opt for 49-O. Were such an amendment to catch the fancy of the nation, political parties will be encouraged to field qualified candidates instead of influential scum. If you’re looking for a Constitutional means to fight corruption and create a better class of politicians, this is it.
Overall, the point I’m making is this: social change-making is a fulltime occupation. Those of us who can’t dedicate ourselves to it must just do our bit to strengthen our institutions. That becomes our change-making model.
We, as a nation, may or may not implement the office of the Lokpal. But neither possibility should stop us from becoming holistic, knowledgeable and questioning change-makers.
Eshwar Sundaresan is a Bangalore-based writer, freelance journalist, ideator and entrepreneur. His works are Googlable.
The views expressed by this blogger and in the following reader comments do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Dawn Media Group.
Fiddlesticks. Thats what I say to this Anna chap and his anti corruption drive. He is trying to stop corruption in India? You are asking politicians who are on top of the corruption 'food-chain' to make into law an anti-corruption bill? What a joke!
There is no joke here. There are so many instances of corrupt politicians having been punished. In India itself union cabinet minister and parliament members are in jail for corruption. The issue raised by Mr.Anna Hazare is to have strong independent body to investigate corruption charges brought in by the people and punish the guilty. If you think that it won't work, then nothing will work in life. You should not be one who takes corruption as part of life and ridicule people with high moral values.
Definetely a Joke in Pakistan.. not in India brother..!! Already some are counting the bars..
How many of those celebrities supporting Anna have paid their income tax correctly ?
How many of them have declared the true transaction value of their houses at the time of paying stamp duty or property tax ?
How many of them havent jumped a red signal or drove wrong side ?
How many of the media guys taking a high moral stand havent accepted gratification to favour someone or suppresssing some news ?
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It is easy to point fingers at others but the truth is that 90% of those enaged in slogan shouting never had a chance to handle public funds otherwise they would be on the other side of the fence.
Would the mobs support strict and harsh laws against tax evaders and those engaging in financial irregularities like in western countries ?
I am in 100% agreement with your statement –
"90% of those engaged in slogan shouting never had a chance to handle public funds otherwise they would be on the other side of the fence".
Almost all of us contribute to the corruption in one way or the other, in little or large! We should support ppl like Anna but more importantly & effectively, we should be truthful and honest to ourselves in our day-to-day situations where we tend to pay bribes etc.
Your recent news show that chief Imam of Jama Masjid, Delhi called Muslim not to support anti-corruption bill but you should have also mentioned that Darool Uloom, Deoband and Imarat e Sharia, Patna openly supported anti corruption movement.
Imran Khan should take a cue from Anna Hazare and formulate his own plan to start a peaceful movement in Pakistan if he is really interested in welfare of Pakistan as claimed by him time and again.
Pakistan also need a person or a leader Like Anna Hazaray, He is not greedy for any power, chair or votes, he just want to unite people under one flag against corruption . Actually Anna Hazaray Should be in Pakistan there is more need of Anna Sahab
Salute to Anna Hazare Sahib who galvanised the people's conscious and made them to say NO TO CORUPPTION.
Anna made this insensitive Government to realize to act now or never. I wish good luck to this second struggle for freedom of India.
I could never imagine that Indian could rise against corruption.It is amazing to see common Indians from all over India rising in support of ANNA. Thanks to ANNA he started this revolution and I am proud to be of Indian origin. Down with corruption.
Situation of Pakistan and India are the same. On both sides we have corrupt leaders who just want to be on power and let us fight from the last 64 years. I have met lots of Pakistanis friends in Singapore, USA, Norway etc and everyone is loving towards Indian and have the same feeling as us. We want to live together, have trade, celebrate Eid/Diwali together.
Come on Pakistan, start protesting like Anna and surely it wil be a good life for your future kids.
Amit
A great article…. It if funny that some known corrupt politicians in the States are jumping on the bandwagon!
I do agree with the blogger.Anna Hazare has taken first giant step and rest will have to be folllowed in next ten years to make a difference.
Anna saheb has done it. He is a political genious but his genuinity is the reason why his followers have increased. His Ghandi Giri is working yet still change is long way ahead. This is not really a revolutuion, it is an attempt to bring change peacefully and anna will be able to. On the other Hand,BJP's role is critical in these protests, they would probably harm themselves when they return to office in the next elections.
Maybe a hunger strike . MR ANNA would have done alot for muslims in Gujrat or Kashmir
I don't agree. Any Lokpal bill will have a mechanism to recall/impeach the Lokapal via a vote in the Parliament (Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha). This is separation of powers and it makes sense. All institutions everywhere become corrupt with time and need to be amended. It is foolish to think that somehow this one position won't be compromised or any such permanently non-compromisable position can be created. The key here is to just disempower government as much as possible and return power to the citizenry (especially including economic power via liberalization). In government, you want disunity – it is a desirable state (actually even in citizenry you need some level of disunity otherwise it leads to tyranny). Remember that India is changing really fast. If people become addicted to cleaner government in the next 10-15 years, that attitude will be tough to roll back. Please note that the government already has corruption at the highest levels, so how will this be worse? It won't. I support an empowered Lokpal.
I have my doubts that lokpal bill is magic wand. In South Asia (and guess most of the world) they always look for one such magical thing that will take care of there problems, but really there is no such magic wand or thing or person available. Any improvements needs baby steps and those baby steps needs to be taken. I am not saying what Anna is doing is wrong but the work should have been to take those baby steps. Like to ensure that corrupt people at highest level are taken out and that seems to be happening at this time, but more needs to be done.
Anyways if people are looking for that magic one stop shop to get corruption out of way, well thats not going to happen instead lokpal bill will mean more state resources more money to be spent and more resources wasted. Lets hope for best.
One thing I would like to say which I have heard many times, in democratic system the rulers are reflection of what society is. If we have a corrupt politician now do we think if we choose to replace this person with someother random person from society will he/she not be corrupt. How many of us are ready to pay Rs. 500 for breaking helmet law and not pay the police Rs. 50 instead or ready to quitely follow court order to vacate land without involving politicians? If the answer to this question is 99% would obey the law then there is no way you will get corrupt politicians but if that answer is in 10% will obey the law well you have the answer.
Shri anna hazare is fasting but what about his team?Why they not fasting with him or they are just using him.If they feel thier bill is better than govt,.in that case make Shri anna hazare Prime minister of india and let his team root out corruption in a given time period.No one thinks about the common man,only it's my bill is better than yours.
If other members also go on fast, how would they be able to interact with audience?
I am a Ann Hazare admire for last few weeks since he started fasting for the cause ….now it has become global phemenon even in USA newspapers and news media giving him lots of coverage. He tried to bring awareness to every indian poor or rich. Indian corrupted politican has created culture of corruption in every walk life in the past 40 years . This could be game changer for every indian living in india. Passing Lokpal bill would help every indian in their lives for better. Common indian's are suffering for a long time now they need this lokpal bill to pass. In Pakintan we have pretty much the same corrupted culture mostly because of corrupted politican has spread their way of accepting money for doing illigal favours. Hope this movement will bring big change in india for better and i hope that will spread into pakintan .
A very balanced article. No bill, not even Anna's version, if passed unanimously will stand the test of time. Inherent in some of the provisions which will trample on individual rights for a fair and open investigation and opportunity to defend. People who have too much faith in legislated morality should be referred to Emil Durkheim, the French sociologist who said: "Where mores are strong, laws are unnecessary. Where mores are weak, laws are unenforceable." I very much doubt either the Congress and its allies or the BJP and the leftist opposition parties with so many skeletons in their cupboards can stand the test.
Where is Anna Hazare of Pakistan?
hope he comes soon…….
Why don't u become Anna Hazare of Pakistan, why waiting for other to come forward. if everything thinks the same then no body will initiate You initiate and rest could follow you …. and in few weeks anna of Pakistan.
sayyid bukhari ji…the problem with Pakistan is that your institutions and civil society is not developed..as long as religion/america/army complex dominates society Pakistan cannot develop..political system in India is as corrupt as Pakistan but because civil society is strong we have reduced the govt to its knees and you can be sure this time around there will be no emergency ..if govt is stupid then this time around the Indian armed forces will intervene in favor of civil society…you cannot jail 1 million people every nite who come at you with slogans of vande mataram waving the tricolor…am very glad our brothers in Pakistan are taking heart from our non violent struggle…
A very well researched article. REMEMBER India ALWAYS finds its feet after a mighty fall.
This is Bollywood in action. With tons of legislation already available for any conceivable crime, yet the crime in India remains unabatted, going on hunger strike for a new legislation is nothing but a gimmick.
atleast he doing something … praise him for that .
It is a right initiative by a common man for common people's nobel cause. We need that becase we are having more and more investment by foreign companies in our country and we have to build a our Brand India. We got independence at same time and see where is our economy are where is Pakistan's economy. It just because we always welcome new ideas and try to change system. We are not super but our ordinary efforts made us a economic power now. I hope this change will never and we always think positive.
I TOTALLY AGREE…
Rashid, first have a full understanding of this whole situation before making a hasty remark. I am sure you will change your stand on this issue once you are knowledgeable about it.
Rashid Bhai, trust me this is not a gimmik. I wish you were here with me when I joinned Anna at his Delhi fast. This is shaking the State to it's core giving a very strong message that state representatives can not hide behind high walls of parliament that is supposed to be for People of State and not Representatives of State!
The basic problem, as I understand it, is that the Government in power is trying to establish a Lok Pal which will be directly and indirectly controlled by it. What is worse, the entire formulation seems to be intended to use the Lok Pal for fixing those who pose a threat to the Government is power.
Independent agencies in India have worked very well in India — the judiciary, the CAG, the Election Commission etc. Why can't the country have an independent Lok Pal with powers to investigate allegations against one and all?
This seems to me to be the crux of the matter. The movement is building up because, unless the nation rises, the country will be beleaguered with a Lok Pal that will hang the whistle-blowers and all those who oppose the Government in power.
Let us not forget that whatever steps have been taken against the corrupt are by the Supreme Court. Let us also not forget that the Prime Minister has all too often talked of the 'coalition dharma' that hindered his taking prompt action. Can a Lok Pal under the control of a trammeled government deliver?
Excuse me if my comments are not in full understanding of the subject.
the problem with india in case of corruption is too many useless laws and red tape.
Lokpal is one more red tape that could actually increase corruption rather than fight it.
punishment never works to prevent corruption.
to end corruption you need
1)less bureaucratic oversight.
2)easy to understand laws.
3)less government.
4) Transparency
not giving bribe is an attitude issue corruption in india is a system in itself.
The author has fallen in to the trap of common refrain.Set an example-Do not bribe which In India is easily said than done. There are plethora regulatory hurdles put in place the bureaucracy to harass the public and it is impossible for common man to escape bribing. Simple act like changing the name of the LPG connection from father to son can drive one nuts. This requires death certificates of parents and undertaking from siblings of no claim. It is great challenge to obtain death certificates with out bribe! No wonder people are extremely cynical.Under these most trying conditions the authors advising common man to do his bit for reduce corruption is like Marie Antoinette saying "If the people have no bread, let them eat cake"!.
The problem is the people. Any ane every institution formulated by human beings, while done with good intentions, has been misused. It is possible that the presrnt lokpals will be honest and upright people dedicated to building up a corruption free India. In future that position may be occupied by less honorable people just as the honorable political leaders of post independence have been replaced by corrupt politicians. When members of the parliament and prime minister are intent on having abill which benefit them how can one expect them to bring about the necessary changes which would benefit the public. A drastic measure is the need of the hour.
some of the critics here are armchair worriers who have not done anything in their pity lives.
just imagine a person called raja can take 1.75 lakh crore rupees and if supreme court didnt have intervened, he would have been roaming around freely. same with suresh kalmadi.
so democracy is for only people? not for politicians? they are not responsible for anything they do?
china changed in 1989 . they are now super power . this is our chance to reform. its not revolution but reform.
Everyone is entitled to their own analysis and prejudices. What is happening is hairsplitting under the garb of 'oh we have great democracy and it will cure all its ills by itself' – this is fundamentally wrong. How did we lost billions of dollars in corruption? How did criminals enter parliament and start legislating on very things they are accused of?
It is self-defeating to say 'ok dont pay a bribe if you dont want corruption'. This is non-sense.
If a rural poor doesn't pay bribe he doesn't get subsidized grain to keep his children fed. He cant get seeds at subsidized rate to till his couple of acres of land.
So, while we all agree that we have great democracy and parliament, we dont want it for namesake.
Other than that, I dont have any issues with the means Anna has employed to fight the system. The alternative is that entire country will become 'red corner' – not just soem Jarkhand and Dantewada.
So, the self-appointed elite and journalists, and all the self-appointed proponents of democracy can do better by supporting movements like this.
No doubt this is a struggle for our second freedom. There are many planted by Govt. to discourage such movements. Agreed it is necessary to strengthen our institutions. But what is the use of institutions if it is dysfunctional? How to remove the institutionalized corruption? The Govt. has no answer. If CWG corruption is not brought forward by opposition and media thanks to the delayed preparations, the Govt. would have awarded Padma Bhushan to Kalmadi. That is the reality. 1947 saw the independence, 1977 saw the real freedom lesson and 2011 will see a functional responsible democracy. I thank God that frustration of people is culminating in peaceful protest rather than the type of maoist agitation?
I M ANNA…. GREAT ATMOSPHERE…… ITS TIME TO SAY GOOD BYE CORRUPTION….. GREAT MOVEMENT BY ANNA HAZARE…. JAI HIND… WE WILL WIN AGAINST THE CORRUPT CONGRESS GOVERNMENT.
okpal or Jana Lokpal is not the only solution to the corruption. To eradicate corruption at least 70-80%, we need to amend people representative act & judicial reform. Under the present electoral rule only corrupt politician can win the election. The root cause of corruption are the corrupt politicians.
They either corrupt, or encourage corruption and facilitate corruption. If at least 70-80% honest people comes in the parliament, we will see a more or less corruption free society.
Eshwar, this movement is against corruption in India, not Anna Hazare. You always need a head to run a protest. Who else can it be than a common man not after power. I don't you have understood the reality yet.
Why not admit that for the common man India was a better place to live during the British raj. A big reason for the mess that is India today is its caste based reservation policies. Has India ever been able to take effective action against the corrupt. What happened in the Bofors case. Does anybody care for the rule of law or the court of law. What we are looking at today is a cheap political drama.
I wished there would be also in Pakistan such people who would fight corruption. Only, purhaps in our country we would let him just die…
dr yahya hassan bajwa
MPA Switzerland
I agree with every thing you say , and am especially worried with some of the rhetoric from team anna . The recent crowds seem to have emboldened them , with talks now of some total revolution . Some of these people seem to want to influence public policy and think of lokpal as a means to this end . It would be best if the movement toned down the rhetoric and got back to serious business of lokpal bill by appearing before the standing comittee .
To be fair actual statistics show that the day to day corruption faced by the people in the country has been declining , also from recent arrests in CWG and 2G scams it is clear that institutions like parliament and courts are doing there jobs however inefficiently.
India is not a dysfunctional democracy but rather it is a misfunctional democracy.
One cannot but agree. In the desire to settle political scores and embarass the ruling party all and sundry–including corrupt persons–are jumping onto the bandwagon. When Pandit Nehru opted for universal adult franchise there were many who scoffed at him. But illiterate and ignorant may be the Indian voter has repeatedly proved he has a mind of his own. Aanna Hazare is like a momentary lightning but Indian democracy is like the sun which will continue to shine.
Absolutely correct. One can recall how in '77, Mrs. Gandhi lost, post-Emergency, and yet a couple of years of the Janata Party brought her back with a thumping majority, by the same electorate. What people are looking for is good governance within the constitutional framework.
Indian democracy is a dysfunctional democracy. Just using your adult franchise once is five years is a democracy? The progress in the last two decades have made possible this rethinking. The days have come where ruling parties should not think that they have licence to rule for five years irrespective of how inefficient they are?
To make institutions work efficiently it will require at least a dozen amendments. Will they (politicians) allow these amendments, given they are opposing one, single amendment: JanLokpal ???
What is the amendment "JanLokpal"? Excuse me if its a dumb question. I am a Pakistani and know nothing about this, thats why! Thanks
Lokpal is a high level Ombudsman for enquiring corruption at high levels. The government version is considered toothless. Jan Lokpal, drafted by Anna Hazaare is a version that gives the Ombudsman lot more teeth, tries to bring the Prime Minister, the higher judiciary, and lower administration into its ambit. It also requires such state level watchdogs to be set across all states. It wants the existing set up such as the Central Bureau of Investigation to report to Lokpal instread of the government.
While the notion of Ombudsman is fine and works in the corporations and other organizations, in a democracy where people elect their representatives and not the ombudsmen (a super cop, if you will), the role as envisioned is problematic. If you don't like the representatives (MPs), then throw them out in the next election. I think this bill and position envisioned, no matter how well-intentioned, is in conflict with democratic principles.
Akash, That's the difference between this and the other movements. This movement is not talking about peaceful change of political power/ representatives but change of system to fight corruption effeactively. Though we have a sound democratic system but the options offered accross the political parties does not give much option for voters to chose from.
First of all, thanks to Dawn for allowing this view. This would not have happened in India at present.
I agree with almost all the points except the last one; one should get elected for 5 years not to be recalled. Lokpal is funny. This reminds me of Narayanrao Peshwa making one Ghashiram as kotwal of Poona and was allowed a full run. God save India if we end up getting such a Lokpal.
Mr. Nand Kishore what you mean by "this would not have happened in india" Looking at what is going on at Ramlila maidan, you still have such a view.
mr nadkishore,for god sake ,dont mislead people of this country and as a whole world. first of all ,a good advice to you.go and read janlokpaal. Now people are mature enough.Its seem that you dont know about JUDICARY,CAG,CIC,Election commission,UPSC and many independent body in india and their efficiency.Before writing on internet please read very well. Even i am Engineer from IIT but having good knowlwdge about my constitution and legal system.i hope you will do some home work and lead this nation from front without bias.
Agree with you. Anyone who does not agree with Anna do-gooders are subjected to hatewitter generally.
I have asked Team A, to factor into the intended process the following:
– the time/effort and money required to fill up the large number of vacancies in the judiciary and various vigilance/redressal related departments in all the states and the Center. I presume this has to be completed before the Lokpal administrative set up is put in position.
– which brings up the next question – what will be cost of creating and maintaining the Lokepal estblishment all over the country.Who will provide the budget?
– filling up of vacancies in a government set up takes time – you also have to provide for reservations in a proper manner.
May be they should look at the model of an Ombudsman at various levels ( with adequate staff) with powers to monitor/punish existing vigilance machinery etc, if they do not act on complaints against patwaris etc within a reasonable time.Monitor the vigilance work instead of actually executing the work. This will be more effective
So what is your solution? Let it be "Chalta hai" .. You have not done anything until now, then just keep your mouth shut… Let Anna do what he can.. This direction I see will only improve common man participation in running the country.. If problem arises in future we will take care of it just like Anna is taking care of corruption..
K, please understand the large number of vacancies in judiciary exist as part of a planned effort to keep justice out of reach of common man. Every other public department/office is overstaffed. I say that with great conviction because its so easy to create the infrastructure for courts and appoint judges in lower courts – commissioning few buildings and holding judicial service exams. So, if we don't have these its a clear indication of deliberate omission. Next you talk about Lokpal budget. Compared to the money the exchequer loses due to corruption, Lokpal expenditure is peanuts.
Read the draft prepared by team Anna carefully you will get your answers. The cost of maintaining or in other words the budget of Lokpal will be at least 0.25% of the Revenue income of Govt of India. It is only a fraction of the scams.Morever, the existing staff of investigating agencies can be handed over to Lokpal teams. Passing of the bill is the first important step. It is only after the bill is passed and it becomes a law the rest of things will become clear. No excuse is a good excuse to delay the bill. The fight is not about the role of lokpal and its budget the fight is between the insincerty and dishonesty of political class and the genuine need for a fully autonomous investigating empowered by constitution. Politicians dont want that. They are happy with present arrangement.