Irom Sharmila Chanu and Anna Hazare have one thing in common – the ability to fast indefinitely for what they perceive is right. But the similarities end there. She has been on a political fast for 11 years but her silent resilience moves you when you realize the sheer magnitude of what she is single-handedly trying to achieve. Far from the glare of studio lights of television channels and tangled wires of...
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Jan Lokpal: an alternative view by KN Panikkar
Given the scale of corruption in India, the constitution of a Jan Lokpal will be a welcome initiative. But the proposed Lokpal has the makings of a super-monster. After 42 years of hesitation and uncertainty, an institutional mechanism to deal with the all-pervasive incidence of corruption in India is in sight. What apparently moved the state machinery was the agitation spearheaded by Anna Hazare, which drew spontaneous support primarily in the...
More »Make Sure The Cure Isn’t Worse Than The Disease by Aruna Roy and Nikhil Dey
Itself the outcome of a bottom-up movement, the Jan Lokpal bill ironically proposes a centralised framework against graft. Without checks and balances. There was never any doubt that India needs a strong Lokpal Act. The protest has paved the way for its enactment. With the exultation over the anti-corruption campaign’s ‘victory’ quieting down, it’s time to take stock. Nuanced arguments—and indeed substance—have to recover lost ground to take the discourse...
More »Sharmila likens Anna's show to blackmail by Bharati Dubey
True to her reputation of being cynical about contemporary issues, actor Sharmila Tagore said the relentless Anna Hazare show was "a form of blackmail" that could set dangerous precedents. "In a democracy, hunger strike is tantamount to blackmail and the government also gave in. Corruption is an important issue that needs to be tackled, but not in this way. I do respect Anna who has turned his village into a model...
More »Sharmila accuses Centre of “double standards” by Iboyaima Laithangbam
On fast for over a decade, demanding repeal of AFSPA Irom Sharmila, who has been on a fast-unto-death since November 2, 2000 demanding the repeal of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA), 1958, has charged the Government of India with adopting “double standards.” She pointed out that the Centre had yielded to the demands of social activist Anna Hazare on the Lokpal Bill after he had been on hunger strike...
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