The summer of 2011 will go down in history as the summer of the aamaran anshan (fast unto death).
Anna Hazare managed to wrest from the Indian state, the assurance that civil society’s suggestions on the Lok Pal Bill would not go unnoticed. Kerala Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan went on a fast seeking a nationwide ban on the endosulfan pesticide. And, now, yoga guru Ramdev’s announcement of a fast unto death against corruption from June 4 is the latest entry in the growing list of celebrity fasting enthusiasts.
What they have in common is whom they are addressing: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
Anna Hazare got his way. A joint committee to draft the Lok Pal Bill has been announced. Mercifully, Achuthananthan kept his fast short and sweet, ending it in seven hours, without giving the Prime Minister much reason to worry, given the age (87) of the CM.
Along the way, Kerala has also refashioned the concept of fast and satyagraha into a modern form called ‘relay fast’, helping to involve more people, with less risk to lives.
Ramdev, however, has declared plans for a fast unto death and the list of demands he has given to the PM are forbiddingly long. Their fulfilment within a limited period of time looks impossible.
HAZARE REPEAT?
Ramdev is making the same demands to the government that were made by the Anna Hazare led movement that calls itself ‘India Against Corruption’ : an effective Lok Pal law.
So, why did he have to go on a separate fast? The website of India Against Corruption maintains silence on the matter. Their spokespersons merely say the issue was the same as that raised by the campaign and hence there could be no difference between the two satyagrahas.
The Baba, who announced the decision during a yoga teaching tour in Mumbai, has in a letter to the Prime Minister listed three main demands. Recovery of ‘black money’ tops this list, with the Lok Pal Bill coming a close second.
Apart from the demand that the Lok Pal should have the power to take action against all those in constititional positions (including the PM and the Chief Justice, an issue on which even the Lok Pal Bill joint drafting committee has wide differences), Ramdev has asked that an ordinary citizen be vested with the right to lodge police cases against any person in power, if he has evidence against that person for corruption.
He has demanded the death penalty and life imprisonment for people guilty of hoarding money through corruption.
UNACCOUNTED MONEY
In his letter, Ramdev says black money amounting to '400 lakh crore is understood to be stashed away in foreign banks. It should be immediately reclaimed and brought back into the country as national property.
Recognising that this may take time, he says the Government should at least create a policy on foreign accounts, take action against those who have kept money in such accounts, and ratify the 2005 UN Convention against Corruption immediately. He said this would mean that bank accounts in 140 other countries which have ratified this would be accessible to India.
He said the Government was citing bilateralism as the hurdle in getting at black money. But what prevented the government from taking domestic action against corruption? For instance, it could demonetise currency and recall large denominations like '100, '500 and 1,000. He said countries abroad don’t encourage such large currencies in circulation, as this abets corruption and black money.
He said many laws today exist which date back to the pre-1947 era and should be repealed at once. He said the Land Acquisition Act and the education system advocated by Macaulay are waiting to be replaced with indigenous laws and systems meant to help the people of India.
India Against Corruption, which was to hold public consultations during this month and June are giving moral support to Ramdev’s fast.
