Gautam Thaker, General Secretary, People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), Gujarat, has shot an open letter to Morari Babu, well known story teller on Lord Ram. Text:
Due to your certain statements during religious discourses - Ram Katha - Manas Shankar, held last month at Kedar Nath, I felt surprised and shocked. Of course as a citizen of India, you have a right to say what you want to.
However, in the context of your emphatic utterances that the current, three years' regime of Indian government is the best, and free from scams and corruption, I, as a citizen, am prompted to write this letter.
I have been bred and molded out of the anti-corruption agitation by Jayprakash Narayan launched in the year 1974. I have thoroughly assimilated and digested the ideology of Jayprakash Narayan, Gandhi-Sarvodaya and the philosopher M.N. Roy, for over 40 years. Hence, I cannot assent to ideology of any of the present political party. This clarification is necessitated just to prove that this letter is not written as a spokesman of any political outfit.
In the context of your assertions that during the last three years, there have not been any scam, corruption or financial malpractices, my averment is that, to probe into that, various provisions have been made in the Constitution consisting mainly of agencies such as Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG), Vigilance Commissioner, Public Accounts Committee, Public Undertakings Committee, Information Commissioner, and clear mention is made of role of the respective agency.
All these agencies by their investigative analysis, probe into charges of corruption and financial frauds.
Now I would like to inform you about Indian government's regime, that neither all these agencies have been vested with full powers nor adequate officers are recruited during these three years. Especially if one looks at the report of the CAG then one feels that CAG has unearthed many irregularities. In short, if you go through the last three years' reports of these agencies then it shall be clearly evident that there is no 'Good Governance' in the country.
Civil liberties and human rights activists like us apprehend that "New Independence" (Nayi Azadi) in 1977 which was secured, is going to be snatched away once more. Democratic values, fundamental rights, freedom of speech, expression and press and independence are gradually annihilated. During last three years, civil liberties, fundamental rights and human rights are visible nowhere.
Freedom for peaceful, non-violent, collective resistance or for demonstration has also been grabbed away through suppression and excesses by the police. Violation and breach of various human rights of the dalits, weaker section, down-trodden and deprived masses are seriously tangible during these years. It is quite well known that Gandhiji had struggled for their cause, all throughout his life.
Gandhiji and Jayprakash Narayan maintained that a human being should also have liberty. Man's life is incomplete, handicapped and atrophied without the liberty. Present rulers have not proffered liberty to the people. To talk of rights of minority is quite out of place. Hence, how can one call it 'Good Governance'?
Social worker Anna Hazare had spearheaded a massive agitation in the year 2010 at Delhi, for appointment of a Lokpal, and based on that, Lokpal Act was passed on January, 16, 2014. In support of it, present rulers had stood together to extend all out support but even after lapse of three years since the NDA regime has come to power, appointment of Lokpal has not been made.
The rulers are afraid that if appointment of Lokpal or Lok-Ayukta is made then they may be shunted out of power and that their corruption may get exposed. If the government makes appointment of these two, then their corruption or financial malpractices may get exposed. The Supreme Court had to reprimand the Govt. on this matter.
Much more can be written or brought to light about the ruling Govt. but only six points given below, appear to be of relevance and importance.
All the steps aimed at employment generation have turned out to be hopeless. As against assurance of one crore jobs, hardly 2.13 lakh jobs created in the year 2016. There is also
So much has been written but veracity of all that can be vouchsafed by a learned man and political analyst like Nagindas Sanghvi (Nagin-Bapa) who is with you and he can very well do so. Please excuse me if any thing improper has been mentioned in the above.
Now I would like to inform you about Indian government's regime, that neither all these agencies have been vested with full powers nor adequate officers are recruited during these three years. Especially if one looks at the report of the CAG then one feels that CAG has unearthed many irregularities. In short, if you go through the last three years' reports of these agencies then it shall be clearly evident that there is no 'Good Governance' in the country.
Civil liberties and human rights activists like us apprehend that "New Independence" (Nayi Azadi) in 1977 which was secured, is going to be snatched away once more. Democratic values, fundamental rights, freedom of speech, expression and press and independence are gradually annihilated. During last three years, civil liberties, fundamental rights and human rights are visible nowhere.
Freedom for peaceful, non-violent, collective resistance or for demonstration has also been grabbed away through suppression and excesses by the police. Violation and breach of various human rights of the dalits, weaker section, down-trodden and deprived masses are seriously tangible during these years. It is quite well known that Gandhiji had struggled for their cause, all throughout his life.
Gandhiji and Jayprakash Narayan maintained that a human being should also have liberty. Man's life is incomplete, handicapped and atrophied without the liberty. Present rulers have not proffered liberty to the people. To talk of rights of minority is quite out of place. Hence, how can one call it 'Good Governance'?
Social worker Anna Hazare had spearheaded a massive agitation in the year 2010 at Delhi, for appointment of a Lokpal, and based on that, Lokpal Act was passed on January, 16, 2014. In support of it, present rulers had stood together to extend all out support but even after lapse of three years since the NDA regime has come to power, appointment of Lokpal has not been made.
The rulers are afraid that if appointment of Lokpal or Lok-Ayukta is made then they may be shunted out of power and that their corruption may get exposed. If the government makes appointment of these two, then their corruption or financial malpractices may get exposed. The Supreme Court had to reprimand the Govt. on this matter.
Much more can be written or brought to light about the ruling Govt. but only six points given below, appear to be of relevance and importance.
All the steps aimed at employment generation have turned out to be hopeless. As against assurance of one crore jobs, hardly 2.13 lakh jobs created in the year 2016. There is also
- Complete failure on the front of women's security
- Failure in checking or controlling inflation. Unbearable rise in the prices of food grains and essential commodities, hitting hard, middle-class and poor people
- Failure on the front of foreign policy, resulting into obstinate, arrogant stand by Pakistan, China and other countries
- Failure in establishing peace in Kashmir
- Flop-show of Demonetization plan.
So much has been written but veracity of all that can be vouchsafed by a learned man and political analyst like Nagindas Sanghvi (Nagin-Bapa) who is with you and he can very well do so. Please excuse me if any thing improper has been mentioned in the above.
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