ANNA HAZARE : WHATS NEXT?

From: sunil dutt sunilrekha@.in>
To: knrao@.com
Sent: Sat, 27 August, 2011 10:29:46 PM
Subject: COMPROMISE--- NO ONE WINS: ANNA WILL BREAK FAST

Sir, Pranam
I feel he won under the circumstances, though the government has tried all the manipulative tactics.  What has happened today was unique in the history of independent India. I personally feel 11-00 am today become auspicious.
Regards
sunil dutt

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This has been the reaction of some. I do not call winning of a toss by a cricket captain in a Test match as winning the match itself. I know from my experience how many objections will be raised about the practicability, legality, constitutionality of the Janlok Pal Bill at various stages, having known these procedures from close quarters. Then the political manipulations. Why will Congress Party accept them to be passed and allow itself to be known as the vanquished? Why will politicians, bureaucrats and businessmen involved in stories of corruption vote for installing a scaffold for them?

Remember, astrologically, it is not the end of the agitation as many more are to follow in the present Hindu New Year and also next year, when the HNY starts from 22 March 2012 which is going to be a bloody year.

Thin basis for astrological assessment
The very thin basis for astrological assessment of Anna's Hazare's movement and predictions made so far have been....and came out correct:
1). His health would deteriorate and it did as medical reports day after day shows. On 23 August the tweet of Kiran Bedi showed her anxiety and on 25 it had become difficult.
2). The second prediction was about a compromise being reached also was correct.
3). The third prediction by Sachin Malhotra of his being hospitalized proved correct on 28^th when after breaking his fast,  Anna had to skip his visit to Rajghat and had to be taken to the hospital of Dr.Trehan in Gurgaon.

Our immediacy to an event which has not reached its full fruition but seems to have succeeded initially is not an occasion for final assessment. Different assessment made and reported in the media gives three views.

The first view is that  Anna team has won
The Times of India
India in festive mood after Anna ends 13-day fast
TNN & Agencies | Aug 28, 2011, 05.27PM IST
NEW DELHI: As Anna Hazare ended his fast after 13 days, the whole nation erupted in joy. From Ramlila Maidan to Ralegan Siddi -- Anna Hazare's village -- celebrations at full blast replaced days of protests as the Gandhian broke his fast on Sunday, with his supporters marking "people's victory" with dancing, waving of the tri colour and handing out of sweets and flowers.

The second view is that MPs have won
Rediff.com
How our MPs took Team Anna for a ride
August 28, 2011 01:17 IST
The battle for Jan Lokpal bill has just begun. There is no guarantee at all, as on today, if it will be passed anytime soon. It's even possible that the scope of the Jan Lokpal bill debate may broaden and the issue may continue to be debated even next year. The Parliament has just expressed its intent and there are dozens of past examples where it has expressed such grand wishes.

...They were in fact celebrating the prospect of closing the 'show' once Hazare ends his fast at 10 am on Sunday at Ramlila Maidan; the 'show' which had humiliated these powerful men.

Those few people, who had witnessed from close quarters what happened inside both the Houses, can say with confidence that the focus of our 'honorable MPs' was not the Lokpal bill. All of them, together, wanted to 'get rid of Anna's fast' and wanted an immediate end to the television broadcast of all the tamasha going on at Ramlila Maidan.

The egos of India's lawmakers were hurt
One can smell murky intentions behind this hasty move, to put an end to Hazare's 'act' that had challenged the parliamentary system. The egos of India's lawmakers were hurt so badly in the last few days by this that the 'sense of House' had become necessary.

... Today, he has declared that he will end his fast. The Jan Lokpal bill is far from becoming a reality.

Did Hazare or his team get anything substantial?
... But did Hazare or his team get anything substantial from the government? The answer is no. Read carefully the 'sense of House' that Anna Hazare got.
It said, "This House agrees in principle on the following issues (i) Citizen Charter, (ii) Lower bureaucracy to be under Lokpal through an appropriate mechanism and (iii) establishment of Lok Ayuktas in the states." "And further resolves to transmit the proceedings to the department-related Standing Committee for its perusal while formulating its recommendations for a Lokpal Bill."

These three elements of the 'sense of the House' were the issues raised by Hazare, who wanted them to be incorporated in the Lokpal Bill. But they are not binding on the Standing Committee.

The government has won today by 'respecting' Anna Hazare and gifting him 'sense of house', but the government didn't heed any demands about the Jan Lokpal bill put forward by his aides Arvind Kejriwal and Prashant Bhushan. They divided Team Anna while dealing with it and succeeded.

The third view is both have won.
End of Anna's fast "win-win" situation for all, says Congress
Published: Sunday, Aug 28, 2011, 11:38 IST
Place: New Delhi | Agency: PTI
Welcoming ending of fast by Anna Hazare, Congress today said it is a "win-win situation" for all stakeholders. "It's a historic occasion because it is a win-win situation for Indian democracy and for all stakeholders," party spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said. Asked whether the government had to "bow down" under pressure from civil society, Singhvi said there are occasions in history when "we have to move away from binary win-loss equations". Singhvi said, "We should applaud the fact that all participants rose to the occasion to engage in constructive and concrete nitty-gritty of law making first before the standing committee and then again before parliament"

Sun, 28 Aug 2011

Has Anna Hazare really come out a winner?
"House bows to Anna whip", "Parliament yields to Anna", "Anna wins it for the people" are some of the screaming headlines in newspapers today. But has he really achieved? .....Some feel that the 74-year-old Gandhian has "achieved a lot" but they also question the methods used by him and his team which sometimes appeared to be undermining constitution and Parliament.

Hazare initially went on a hunger strike setting a deadline of August 30 for passage of civil society's Jan Lokpal Bill by Parliament without referring it to the Standing Committee.

The civil society had also sought inclusion of Prime Minister, higher judiciary and MPs conduct in Parliament within the purview of the bill but he settled for referring three of his key issue to the committee which will report back to Parliament.

MPs belonging to Congress and BSP feel the methods adopted by him were not appropriate, while SP leader Mohan Singh said the methods created a fear of scrutiny among the political class.

The politicians are one in that Parliament has prevailed over Hazare that it has not conceded any of his major demands but only referred some issues for scrutiny by the Standing Committee.

Rao and Mitra said Hazare was able to make Parliament commit itself to considering Lokpal Bill because with galloping corruption it was giving an impression that it was not concerned about it.

Mitra is of the opinion that Hazare forced government in Parliament to bring in a strong and effective Lokpal Bill which could not be done in the last 40 years. Both of them feel it does not matter who won or who lost. There was a give and take and win-win on both sides. SP's Mohan Singh concurs on this issue.

A retreat has been sounded in Anna vs Govt. battle
August 29, 2011 11:49 IST
The public perception at this stage of the battle is that the victory thus far belongs to Anna Hazare and his followers, but in reality it may turn out to be a victory of mixed proportions, feels B Raman. In military lingo, a retreat is a temporary withdrawal from a confrontation in order to give oneself time to recoup losses and plan a new strategy. rediff.com web

Future course
In thirty one year’s Anna has fasted sixteen times and remained without food for 132 days says a television channel. He is a Brahmachari, does yoga for two hours every day and eats once a day pure vegetarian food. His agitation has revived the memories of Gandhiji's fasts. Some foreign newspaper has even commented, says a friend though I have read it, and contrasted the unique and civilized non-violent agitation of India with their own. Indian masses bow before a tapasvi and tyagi---that is India's unique history.

The youth force of India is with him now. He has not won the battle yet because the Janlokpal Bill has not been passed into a law.

In discussing about the future of the movement, it is clear that Anna will not give it up as an experienced campaigner. But there are other factors to be taken into account here.

1. Mahatma Gandhi was world famous in his early thirties and started his public life in India in 1915 with that advantage and thirty two years available for his agitations. Mahatma Gandhi attracted young leaders in their thirties who became world famous leaders later.

2. JP had become famous in India in his fortieth year (born 1902) after his escape from Hazaribagh jail in 1942 and he had a national stature already when he launched his movement in 1974. The leaders who rose after that----well, how many are respectable?

3. Anna attained national stature at the age of 74. How many years is he left with him for his successful agitation at the national level ?  

We do not have his horoscope to venture into an astrological prediction. The horoscope being discussed are many: Two of them are.

1) 15 June 1937 with Kumbha lagna.
2) 15 June 1937 with Tula lagna. Bhingar, (Ahmadnagar).

However the Republican horoscope does show legislation, as I have stated already, but not a strong one as Anna team wants.

So, what next?

(4/32 pm 30 Aug 2011)