Fighting corruption on their own

Though the future of Lokpal bill still hangs in balance and there may be less number of people at Jantar Mantar, but the spirit among the people to fight the menace of corruption has not died down.

 

The change that this 'ant-corruption movement' has brought in in the last one year was palpable at Jantar Mantar even on the first day of fast by Team Anna members and their supporters.

 

People have launched their own fight against corruption either at community level, or through NGOs or individually.

 

All India VSNL/TCL Employees' Association is one such organisation that has been demanding a law to address corruption in private sector. The organisation claimed, “We have been tolerating corruption and exploitation by the management of Tata communication limited since 2002. At least 30-35 honest workers who did not support illegal practices were sacked. Tata was involved in all big scams happened in last 4 to 5 years.”

 

“We have come here (Jantar Mantar) to support Anna Hazare and through Anna’s movement our voices will be heard too,” said a member of the organisation on the condition of anonymity.

 

Similarly, Bhagwan Singh, a native of Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh, has started his lone fight against corruption. He wants a law that gives the common man the right to check adulteration in food products. Bhagwan seeks “Right to Test Act” on the lines of Right to Information Act. “People should have the right to test things that they use. By doing that we can check corruption. My next step will be election reform,” said Bhagwan.

 

A Bihar based organisation, Reaction Against Corruption (RAC), has published a booklet “Real Root of Corruption” suggesting reasons and the solution to fight corruption.

 

In the booklet the writer Riyaz Ahmed, a political activist, has written about economic corruption, subsidy corruption, corruption during elections, social corruption, corruption in courts, corruption through MP and MLA funds, corruption in administration, and corruption in media.

 

Common cause, an NGO of 25 to 30 people based in Vasant Kunj, New Delhi, has started their own movement to fight corruption in the country. “We have come here to support Anna because he is the face of anti-corruption movement in India,” said a member of the group.

 

Apart from these people and groups, people from all across the country have joined Anna Hazare from the first day of the fast itself. Though the demands raised by Team Anna from the government seem a distant dream, but the movement has helped to bring a positive change in the country by educating people about the menace of corruption.