Democracy News

Indian Congress Bows to Hazare’s Demands
September 7, 2011
By: Carlos Aramayo | Printer Friendly

On August 29, the Financial Times (FT) published an opinion editorial by Ashutosh Varshney on the eve of the end of India’s Anna Hazare’s 13 day anti-corruption hunger strike. Harare, a 78 year old social activist, chose to end his Gandhi-like protest after the Indian Congress met his key demands of wanting Congress to submit the lower tiers of bureaucracy to scrutiny, pressing for the appointment of an anti-corruption ombudsmen in the states, and wanting Congress to agree on a citizen’s charter.  Varshney cautioned that news outlets and others should be careful about using the term “modern day Gandhi” for Hazare since even though he has embraced “non-violence as a strategy, he has not as a philosophy of life as Gandhi did.”

The FT’s piece goes on to note how in one of his first speeches, Hazare spoke of his fast as India’s second freedom struggle, stating the first was against the white English colonialists. However, the article points out that Gandhi’s battle was not against white skin, but against any form of oppressive colonialism in the country. Nevertheless, the article also highlights the fact that the ever increasing Indian urban middle class is Hazare’s political base which means it “will have the internal resources to last.”

Moreover, the article goes on to describe Hazare’s “obvious” disdain for the typical voter stating that “he does not trust the vote as the principal mechanism through which society establishes popular will.”

In conclusion, Varshney states that even though India’s democracy has progressed, it still has “considerable flaws.” During the years between elections, government officials are said to “accumulate wealth, treat citizens in an unfeeling manner, and humiliate adversaries crudely.” Additionally, the article states that permanent bureaucrats (administrators and policemen) act as accomplices to government corruption. In response, the citizen feels empowered by the elections period but are largely left out of the political process however, it seems that with the newly found strength within Hazare’s political movement “a political battle has begun to make democracy deeper” in India.

The Indian government has been rocked by recent corruption scandals including an alleged telecoms bribery scam that may have cost the country $39 billion (USD), suspected financial malpractice linked to the Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games, and accusation that homes for war widows were diverted to civil servants.

Sources:
Financial Times – India’s battle for democracy has just begun

Financial Times – Hazare ends hunger strike