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© 2012 Sanjeev Sabhlok's revolutionary blog
Today Swamy Aiyar has written an "open letter" to Anna.
Sway Aiyar is on FTI's speakers panel. We have not yet invited him to our events, since we usually find enough FTI members to speak at such events.
I agree almost entirely with what Swamy usually writes (and perhaps he would therefore agree with what I write). For instance, I agree with his solution to fast track criminal trials against MPs with charges against them. I've recently written about this solution in some more detail.
However, it appears that he has not found merit in IAC's move into politics. I beg to differ.
I have been constantly cajoling IAC and Anna, Ramdev etc. (through whatever limited means I can muster, including meeting Arvind Kejriwal) to join politics. I have always disagreed with their insistence (through fasting, etc.) that parliament pass their version of the Lokpal Bill (and noted that a Lokpal can do NOTHING to remove corruption, anyway, unless its causes are addressed).
Therefore I have congratulated Team Anna on their decision to join politics. That is the MOST democratic and respectful way to change the country's laws.
As a next step I have requested Arvind to commit to the simple principle of LIBERTY (with accountability). The rest can be worked out. Whether a Lokpal is necessary or not can then be determined (I don't think it is critical in any form or shape).
I would NEVER criticise good people who join politics. Even those who are corrupt do us a favour compared with those who only sit on the sidelines and preach. We can fix the problem of corruption, but we can't fix the problem of apathy.
We need the BEST people of India to step forward. We must always encourage good people who offer to represent the country.
THE PARLIAMENT IS THE PLACE WHERE THE WISEST SHOULD ASSEMBLE. Let's give a round of applause to Team Anna for taking the RIGHT DECISION!
Three cheers for IAC on its taking the first step in the right direction.
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Related posts:
- The problem with the IAC is not its members’ deviation from the ideal, but its shunning politics
- BJP doesn’t want to learn the key lesson: Indians DON’T want religion and politics to be mixed
- Agree with JP that even the most corrupt politician deserves natural justice
- “Smart” people never tire from asking me to join an “existing” party
- This is what people of India think about politics – a short documentary
- Neglect politics at your peril
- Glad to hear, finally, that IAC will enter politics. Let’s do a reality check of policies now.
- When will I enter full-time politics in India?
- If you live in the USA join in these rallies against corruption in India
- Mythical barriers to joining politics
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I usually agree with Swamy Aiyar but disagree with his criticism of IAC’s decision to join… http://t.co/6fOeLxhr
I usually agree with Swamy Aiyar but disagree with his criticism of IAC’s decision to join… http://t.co/AF0mny4N
IF one can get IAC/Arvind to agree to the principle of liberty with accountability, then is it likely that you/FTI will consider being a part of the ‘Swaraj’ party?
or are there other issues also that need agreement first? (like contesting elections only when confident of forming govt., etc?
Dear Shailesh, Let me respond through a next blog post.
I usually agree with Swamy Aiyar but disagree with his criticism of IAC’s decision to join… http://t.co/6fOeLxhr
Sanjeev, I too am in favor of IAC joining politics. But what about certain social “experts” and “well wishers” in the Indian national media criticizing the IAC decision and saying that they let down the peple of India, and that
there always has to be a strong movement outside of politics in order to put pressure and regulate the system and that IAC botched it by deciding to join politics and so on and so on..How do you refute all that? Eager to know your thoughts
I really don’t care about what others say. It is peurile to stay outside the political system and keep commentating and asking people to kill themselves through fasting so that the country can reform.
The direct path MUST first be exhausted: of politics. These commentators are asking good people to commit suicide so they can then dance over their dead bodies.
I’d rather have Arvind Kejriwal (and thousands of other good leaders) hale and hearty, and in parliament, than dead or permanently brain damaged (because of fasting) because some stupid commentators want it that way.
This is not the Roman colosseum and Team Anna are not a sacrificial gladiators for the thrill of these stupid commentators.
If this is how India must run, then let these commentators demand that parliament be abolished. Let them. Idiots.
Sorry, but I’m very angry at pseudo-intellectuals.
I’ve been asking ALL those who want reforms to directly enter politics. That method has not yet been exhausted. It has not even been tapped. We have left the gate open for crooks and we sit on the side and fast to death, begging these rascals!
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Sanjeev, I am angry as well. But then when I watch these commentators, they dont belong to any party(atleast by the looks of them) nor do they seem to have any ulterior motives by the looks of it.Like say, Mr.Sohail who often appears on NDTV. So it baffles me as to why they genuinely feel that there has to be a strong civil rights movement all the time and that members of the civil rights movements such as Team Anna should not join politics. I am just trying to see if there is some legit point that they have, which I missed getting or did not understand.
Another argument I hear is, “they knew that the govt. was not going to do anything anyways. so why fast in the first place? they should have declared their intentions last year itself. why start a movement and then prematurely give it up to enter politics by giving the govt’s inaction as an excuse.? were they naive enough to believe that the govt. would actually succumb to their fasts and pass their version of the lokpal bill?”
Actually I agree with this argument somewhat. Rather than wait for a year, after gauging the popularity of the movement last year when the support was huge, they should have declared their party then and there than wait for their movement to lose fizz and then jump into the fray, after UPA had tried their best to damage the credibility of these individuals in the past one year.
Also I am surprised that someone like Mr. Santosh Hedge a former team anna member is also against these political ambitions. In fact for a while he has been against anything Team Anna has done.
Have you had a chance to interact with him? Maybe he will be a bit more readily accessible than Kejriwal since he is retired from Lokayukta duty.
You can convince him on why you think Team Anna should join politics.
Santosh does not seem like a pseudo-intelectual to me but at the same time he appears a bit soft and not aggressive enough. I would like to know his reasoning on why Team anna entering politics is not good for the country if you get a chance.
All I would like to point out to Mr.Hegde is how his Lokayukta has been powerless in trying to deal with corrupt BJP in Karnataka. He couldnt do much other than file reports which are gathering dust. I wonder why he took up the job when he knew he didnt have suo moto/ prosecution powers