ANNA = GANDHI minus GANDHI

It has become fashionable for the followers of ANNA HAZARE to compare him with Mahathma Gandhi. Though the author is not an ardent admirer of Gandhi, but still would appreciate Gandhi’s shrewdness & his understanding of Indian social, economic &political scenario, which was prevalent then. He was a great strategist.

Think it would be appropriate to point out few of Gandhi’s exemplary moves in the course of Indian Freedom Struggle

On return from South Africa, he launched his first movement after becoming leader of the Indian national Congress in 1920. He named the movement as NON COOPERATION MOVEMENT. He himself launched the agitation in Bardoli in Bihar. Movement evoked a lukewarm response; rather it did not yield the result as desired by him.

Having failed in the initial fight, he quickly assessed the reasons & he announced that anybody could
become member of INC by filing a form & depositing two annas. By doing so he expanded his mass base. He took support of down trodden people & gave them name HARIJAN. He also started a newspaper to elicit his views. The newspaper was named YOUNG INDIA. Meanwhile he also supported Khilafat agitation in Turkey. This made Indian Muslims also turn towards him.

Having created mass base, taking people across the society, he launched his next mass movement only in
1930. He had spent 10 full years to create his supporters. He kept traveling across the country & kept the momentum going. As a part of CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE MOVEMENT he launched his SALT SATYAGRAHA. Here again he touched on salt which is a commodity will affect common man.

In 1935, British as part of GOVERNMENT OF INDIA act, created reserved constituencies, which he opposed tooth & nail. Since Ambedkar wanted this British acceded to his demand. Only here he went on an indefinite fast for 22 days, finally Ambedkar had to succumb to pressure & sign POONA PACT in 1935. Whether it was good or bad Mahathma Gandhi had his say because of the base he created since 1920.

He was shrewd to overthrow Nethaji Subash Chandra Bose also from Congress leader. Had Nethaji taken the reign we would have fought thro arms & may be we would have lost the battle too??

When enough momentum gained, he gave conditional support to British in WORLD WAR 2, at their crisis in 1942 he called for QUIT INDIA movement. This was the time when nation was ready to do
anything for him. He said DO or DIE. Final call was given, British had no choice to send the CABINET MISSION PLAN under Clement Atlee to start the work for Indian Independence.

Thereafter he knew that his work for Independence was over, he dissociated himself from Congress &
was not even a member of that party during Independence. His next focus was social upliftment. He was in Naukali in Bengal during Independence.

All the while he was communicating his ideas & idealogy to people. He had a connect with people.
He was just clad in 4 metre cloth. Even Winston Churcill called him a HALF NAKED FAKIR, for which he turned deaf ears.

Gandhi was strategic in his moves. He took people by his side & then launched a war. He accepted
British offer for interim government in 1935 & became part of it & fought through

Now compare ANNA, where does he stand when compared with Gandhi? Is he strategic as Gandhi
was? Does he have allies to support him through thick & thin? Even the support he claimed had gone bust in Mumbai, the city claimed to be active & sensitive. Gandhi realized importance of rural folk & had his base there, Anna relies on spineless urban crowd.

His followers say truth does not need any support it would emerge by itself. Agreed. But it has to be protected against the rough weather & need to be tactical to make it win. Even in Mahabaratha truth was by the side of PANDAVAS, Krishna being God himself had to be so strategic & tactful to ensure that
truth triumphed, else it would have been victory of the evil. Even the great Rama had to hit VAALI & kill him mysteriously.

Now Anna being exposed government will not take him serious anymore. Even a fish is safe until it
opens its mouth. What was the need for this fast that too in Mumbai when parliament was debating the bill?

In public life, patience is the key. Of course he is good, but being good alone is not sufficient. He will become another Manmohan Singh.

It would be worth recalling my earlier statement he is NEITHER KSHTRIYA NOR A CHANAKYA.

His followers are satisfied that atleast the bill was discussed atleast to that extent he is credited. What
was started as demand, turned to a plea & reduced to begging & being happy for what he had not got at all.

He has not only exposed himself & dug his own grave but also started disconnecting the little oxygen that LOKPAL had got recently & sent it to ICU again
 
Chengalvarayan

ANNAISM—THE NEW BUZZWORD

Its not far from memories of Tamilnadu people the famous rhetoric of MGR—ANNAISM. When he floated his own party AIADMK he wanted a principle something to sound similar to GANDHISM, hence he declared his party’s idealogy is ANNAISM.

When people asked what it meant, he explained to be being good & doing good.

Finally the party has traveled from ANNAISM to AMMAISM in 40 years since inception. The ideology was so void that anything could be filled in it.

History repeats itself, while doing so its done with a farce. Very true.

Recent anti corruption hero another ANNA this time from Maharshtra has again given us the concept of ANNAISM.  My friends im sure many of you will get wild with me for writing this but I feel so. Hence as usual I write it & democratically express my view

I tried deciphering the concept of ANNAISM. Perhaps Adishankara also would have not expressed the difficulties while trying to decipher Brahma & Atman as I do while trying to understand the famous ANNAISM which people proudly talk about.

TENET-1--MORALITY

First tenet of the concept is that morality resides only outside the parliament that too with people who support the movement , those who disagree with their modus operandi would be perpetually demonized & would be tainted as PRO CORRUPT & people having inclination for corruption

TENET-2—ALL POLITICIANS ARE CHEATS

They are apolitical in nature, hence ANNAISM says people in Parliament are cheats & thieves. Entire spectrum of politicians are here to loot the country. Team ANNA & their supporters are MESSIAHS who had come to save the nation from these politicians. But the irony of the fact is that same ANNA HAZARE had once felt very elated for having Sonia Gandhi to support their movement. They also wrote to all political parties seeking support. The team ANNA says all politicians are cheats & thieves but they write for their support & fight corruption. Truly confusing.

TENET-3—SECULARISM

This is a very famous jargon & it was the sole property of congress party.  Thanks to Modi now every individual is trying to prove secular credentials. RSS has pledged support to this movement so was BJP. It was untenable for them as their secular credentials would be at stake. Hence every day & night team ANNA spend their energy to distance themselves from these two. Hence to support this movement one has to be secular(read here ANTI HINDU)

TENET-4—APOLITICAL

They are apolitical but they will campaign against CONGRESS in Hissar bye polls. They would claim defeat of Congress is because they had campaigned against it.

When they fight corruption its for national cause, when a leader like Advani goes on rath yatra to create awareness on corruption it’s a political gimmick. They can take a stand against a political party but still they are apolitical.

TENET-5—They are democratic

They are democratic but only their version of JAN LOKPAL is to be rammed down the throats of 1.2billion people. Else they would not agree. They would use all forms emotional threats to bully the government. Its their way or the highway. But still they are democratic

TENET-6-They are united

They claim they are united & all the more they say government & politicians are trying drive a wedge between them. But when Prashant Bushan spoke about referendum in Kashmir they disown him. But still they are UNITED

TENET-7—SELF DISCIPLINE

The team is highly self disciplined. But still they would call their cadres to GHERAO the MPs in their constituencies & still remain disciplined

There are several more such facets which im trying to understand. Like the way MGR ANNAISM ended in now AMMAISM, Anna Hazare movement also trudges the same path. Supporters of ANNA say that he is not their leader but one amongst them. Very true it has become a movement without leadership & running like a HEADLESS CHICKEN

ECONOMIST PM’s ECONOMICAL ECONOMICS

By Chengalvarayan

UPA government has announced new policy on MANUFACTURING which would create 10crore jobs in next 8-10 years. Though the venality of politics seldom does such good things, still to be appreciated. Well thought out & laid policy by the Manmohan Singh government. It is this government since 2004 till now has maintained an average growth of 8.4% , despite the tsunami of recession which hit in 2008. Many developed nations & UNCLE SAMS yet to recover from this

But this government’s attitude towards other sections is appalling, especially when it comes to AGRI SECTOR. This sector which was erstwhile nourished by the government is now looked with a step motherly attitude. It was this sector which grew at a rapid pace since independence & reduced our import bills on food & made us self sufficient infact made us export food grains. The green revolution ushered by C.Subramaniam relieved us from evil clutches of malnutrition & propelled us to prosperity.

As per INDIA 2012 report, 55% of agri population lives on 1/6^th ie 16% of national income. Disproportionate proportions.  This is shrinking day by day. This in the long run would prove to be suicidal as it would create a big sociological gap in the society.

The state of affair in agriculture sector is so pathetic that in the time period between 2004-2010 there have been 120,000 recorded farmer suicides. Two farmers committing suicide every hour. The prime reason being they are unable to pay back their debts to the money lenders. Adding to the woes, so called elite battalion of economist under Manmohan Singh have dismantled the subsidy to Urea & other fertilizers. Today an average farmer has to rely on such chemical fertilizers & it is a sine quo non. No organized credit to him.

All of us all aware of the fact that MUMBAI is the financial capital of India & people in the urban areas measure the growth story inline with the SENSEX, but in same Maharashrta , in a district NUNDURBAR, hoads of families go every year in  mass exodus to Gujrat to work in sugarcane fields for 6 months. They vacate their native in Nandurbar & move there in trucks & live in most inhospitable conditions that, leave alone food water & shelter their sanitation needs also not addressed. Seems womenfolk there are not willing to conceive children as they fear same fate would follow them. All this they do as they have to repay a meager loan amount of Rs16,000. Every year the money lender in that area gives them loan of Rs16000 per person to work for full year in sugarcane fields in Gujrat. We boast of Mumbai the capital of Maharashtra, but same state also battles with such districts

I would like to amply clarify that im not against growing metros & people earning money through rightful means, neither im a communist. Point is that agriculture sector is a no man’s baby.

What is more worrying is this government shamelessly saying minimum requirement per person above the poverty line is Rs32. Only when a problem is acknowledged it can be solved. Else procrastination is just a time bomb ticking under way.

One statistics even to a lay man is enough to understand the basics of the issue. Since 2004, our economy has grown by 8.4% average whereas Agri sector(which 55% of population is dependent on) has grown only by 2.3%. This growth also is only due to the fact that MSP has been increased by the UPA government

One hand there is a growth story & other hand we have food inflation is as high as 14%. This itself substantiates the fact that proper focus in the agri sector would tame down the spiraling food inflation, thereby reducing the woes of both farming community & also the URBAN class who are always at dark about the situation around them & are worried about their Birthdays & meaningless days celebrated in the west.

Its really unfortunate that Economic adviser to PM Mr.Rahuram Rajan says that 55% of the population depending on agri is wrong Only 5% of the population is enough. Im sure none of the farmers would know this statement. But this is a representation of the audacity of this government which resemble the famous TSAR & TSARNIA. They failing to understand people’s aspiration.

No leader from the masses is leading this country.

People say our PM is highly learned. But why is he so economical about his own economics???

Know Your Enemy

There is nothing more elusive than the obvious. I am neither against Anna Hazare nor his movement. I am just seriously concerned that his strategies are going to boomerang against him. If he fails in this attempt, politicians will gain confindence and right minded people would be discouraged in future. When pitching against monsters strategies have to be made accordingly. Pitching naive will be a great loss.

One quick flash at the sequence of events unfolded in the last few days. Baba Ramdev fats, midnight arrest, Anna hazare supports Ramdev and fasts at Rajghat. In the fast, Anna Hazare calls it a SECOND FREEDOM struggle. Congress rebuked saying freedom movement was against the British and cant be compared with this as this government is democratically elected by people. I do agree with Congress. He again sets deadlines for the Lokpal bill. If not met, he says he would go on an indefinite fast. How can a person threaten a legitimately elected government so? In fact he can be prosecuted for this.

Arvind Kejriwal says, Judiciary also has to come under the scanner of Lokpal. Basically these people's emotional utterances gives am impression of their immaturity. Judiciary, executive andlegislature are the three pillars of constitution and checks and balances are there to check each other. That is the reason why today Supreme court has taken over 2G case.

What if tomorrow Geelani undertakes a fast and demands separate Kashmir and sets deadlines to the government. Atleast for hazare, the support was thin (People may differ) but for Geelani, I am sure people will spring up from all quarters. Even our Congress government and the so-called educated/honest PM does not take action against Geelani or Arundati Roy for seditious talks against the government but for Ramdev he terms the incident as unfortunate. Actually in my opinion its unfortunate to have such a PM.

Sum and substance of the entire episode is Congress sensed the weakness of Anna Hazare. They encouraged Baba Ramdev so that they can divide and rule. Ramdev tried to plat double game which was again useful to the Congress. Hazare getting emotional, spoke what should not be spoken against this government.

Result: He gave more weapons to government/Congress armoury. Even the mighty Ram and Pandavas spent 13/14 years working on their strategy in war. Gandhi also took Ahimsa as a strategy, hen playing against a fair enemy. Chanakya took 14 years to strategise and win the empire from Nandas. But this man wants everything at the stroke of the pen. In the process, only more of his naiveness is exposed. Know your enemy, Mr. Hazare!