Come One, Come All

Please join in large numbers to register a strong protest against the government’s clampdown on peaceful demonstrators in the wee hours of 5 June, reminiscent of the Jallianwala Bagh incident of 13 April 1919 when British troops had opened fire on innocent citizens. The difference this time was the use of lathis instead of bullets, but the intention of the authority was no different. In either case, there was neither provocation nor a sound threat perception.

Even otherwise the government has been using repression to curb dissent and muzzle the voice of civil societies demanding change and a better system of governance. Demanding a strong Lokpal Act or retrieval of black money from tax haven countries cannot be deemed provocation in a country that prides of its democratic traditions. We seize this opportunity also to take strong exception to some ministers’ resorting to slander to malign the movement of India Against Corruption, and their effort to stupefy civil society members of the Lokpal Bill Drafting Committee and finally deliver nothing.

Betraying total lack of sincerity to improve the state of the nation, the government, instead of redressing grievances and trying to meet people’s legitimate demands, has preferred to run down civil societies employing devious means.

Such attempts include the attempts to malign the messengers of change and not allowing people to protest by imposing Section 144 at vantage points in the city.  Let us march silently, holding placards, with our mouths tied in black cloth, from Rajghat to the office of the National Human Rights Commission this 18 June.

Route: Rajghat, Ambedkar Stadium, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, Tilak Marg, India Gate, Copernicus Marg.

Time: 5 pm

This is a call to all thinkers, artists, athletes, scientists, writers, poets, journalists, teachers, corporate sector heads, actors, activists and other eminent citizens of the country to stand by the side of the hapless, distraught, oppressed and brutally suppressed lot that is looking up to you for moral support in this dark hour of India’s democracy.

Come one! Come all!

Appeal

Please join in large numbers to register a strong protest against the government’s clampdown on peaceful demonstrators in the wee hours of 5 June 2011, reminiscent of the Jallianwala Bagh incident of 13 April 1919 when British troops opened fire on innocent citizens. The difference this time was the use of batons instead of bullets. In both the cases, there was no provocation.

Even otherwise, the government has been using repression to curb dissent and muzzle the voice of civil societies demanding change and a better system of governance. Demand for a strong Lokpal or retrieval of black money from tax haven countries cannot be deemed provocation in a country that prides of its democratic traditions. We take strong exception to some ministers’ attempt to malign the movement of India Against Corruption, and their effort to stupefy civil society members of the Lokpal Bill Drafting Committee.

Betraying total lack of sincerity to improve the state of the nation, the government, instead of redressing grievances and trying to meet people’s legitimate demands, has preferred to run down civil societies employing devious means. These include the attempts to malign the messengers of change and not allowing people to protest by imposing Section 144 at vantage points in the city

The government cannot snatch away the fundamental rights of ‘the right to expression’ enshrined in the Constitution. The police action has raised a fundamental issue: “Will it be possible for the citizens of this country to exercise their legitimate rights?”  OR “Should we succumb to the undemocratic and unconstitutional act of the government?”

Let us march silently, holding placards, with our mouths tied in black cloth, from Rajghat to the office of the National Human Rights Commission, on 18 June 2011.

Route: Rajghat, Ambedkar Stadium, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, Tilak Marg, India Gate, Copernicus Marg. Time: 5 pm

This is a call to all thinkers, artists, athletes, scientists, writers, poets, journalists, teachers, corporate sector heads, actors, activists and other eminent citizens of the country to stand by the side of the hapless and innocent who are looking up to you for moral support in this dark hour of India’s democracy.

Come one! Come all!
PS: Water, adequate first aid tools and vehicles for the aged and the ailing, who cannot walk the distance, will be available on spot

List of people issuing this appeal:

1.     Arif  Md Khan (former Union Minister and crushader for justice)

2.     Ved Pratap Vaidik (former Editor of Navbharat Times and Editor PTI and Bhasa)

3.     Ram Bahadur Rai (journalist)

4.     Jaya Prakash Narayan (former IAS officer and President of Lok Satta Party)

5.     Surendra Srivastava (President Lok Satta Maharashtra unit)

6.     Shri Ashok Tandon (Director Makhanlal Chaturvedi Rashtriya Patrakarita Evam Sanchar Vishwavidyalaya)

7.     DP Sinha (winner of Sangeet Natak Academy Award)

8.     Maloy Krishna Dhar (former Joint Director IB)

9.     Udai Sinha (journalist)

10.                        Raja Bundela (film actor, director and social activist)

11.                         KN Govindacharya (political thinker and social activist)

- Show quoted text -

An Appeal from Govindacharya

Rashtriya Swabhiman Andolan (RSA) appeals to all anti-corruption activists to join hands. We have convened a meeting of different organisations active nationwide in the fight against corruption on 25 June, the day Emergency was imposed on this country. We are confident that a common strategy can be evolved for the forward march. The fight against corruption demands that members of civil society should overcome ideological untouchability and act as per people’s sentiments to reign in the virus of corruption.

The RSA has also decided to organise a silent march on 18 June from Rajghat to the office of the National Human Rights Commission to highlight the plight of the people oppressed by a despotic government. Holding peaceful demonstrations to protest the flaws in the system is their democratic right. The RSA appeals to all to participate in this march in big numbers to register people’s serious objection to the atrocities of the authority.

The RSA appeals to Swami Ramdev to call off his indefinite hunger strike in view of his failing health. By endangering his health, Swami Ramdev will only help the insensitive UPA Government that is not serious about exposing the corrupt but is scurrying for cover to save its skin. The anti-corruption movement in this country needs him to relaunch the fight with renewed vigour.

We strongly demand to the government to declare India’s money stashed in tax havens as national property immediately for Baba Ramdev to have a reason to end his fast.

We strongly condemn the Union Government for its demonic attempt to muzzle public dissent on the night of 4 June. It was creating a situation reminiscent of Emergency, unmindful of its consequences. This repression will fail to strangulate democracy, no matter what brutal means the police employ, a deplorable example of which they displayed by beating innocent satyagrahis half-asleep in the fateful night of 4 June.

I would like to bring to your notice the statement of Union Home Minister P Chidambaram in his interview to Doordarshan and that of Mr Kapil Sibal in his interview on All India Radio. They were both blatant distortions of facts. They were trying to divert public attention from the issue of corruption by adding a political hue to a popular movement.

Those occupying such responsible positions in the government have said that I, Govindacharya, was ghost-managing the Bharat Swabhiman show. Mr Sibal even claimed that I was present on the dais and that Swami Ramdev was a mere mask of the Rashtriys Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS). I deny this charge and challenge the Telecom Minister to prove the allegation, failing which he should render an unconditional apology. This government, whose ministers are issuing such irresponsible statements, does not deserve to continue in power. It is distorting facts and trying to run down the anti-corruption movements in the same way in which Indira Gandhi had tried to berate the Navnirman movement before imposing Emergency. You may all recall that, in order to belittle people’s movement for change, the then government had termed Loknayak Jayaprakash Narayan a CIA agent! A divided, bewildered Congress faced with insecurity of losing power then imposed emergency. People, however, taught the Congress a lesson and defeated it with a massive mandate and demonstrated their faith in democracy and abhorrence for dictatorship.

The issues confronting the country are unemployment, corruption and price rise. This government, having completely failed to address them, is trying to deflect attention from them. Its intentions are mala fide. Otherwise, how could the government not act on the FIR against Hasan Ali, the conduit of corrupt politicians and bureaucrats, for four months? Why is the government not disclosing the names of people who have stashed black money in tax haven countries? What are the compulsions of the government that it cannot get an ordinance passed on the issue of black money? Now it is clear that the Prime Minister was aware of the 2G and Commonwealth Games scams. Why were actions not taken against those responsible? All these show the intentions of the government to shield the corrupt and the guilty.

I appeal to all to join this fight against corruption in whichever way they can.

KN Govindacharya
Patron
Rashtriya Swabhiman Andolan

Proposition from the Seminar

The following suggestions emerged from the seminar:
Mass movement
• We should resolve to protest wherever we see problems;
• People of the country should take an oath not give bribe to get their work done;
• People should stop paying taxes till the government takes concrete steps to bring back the unaccounted money stashed by Indian nationals in foreign tax havens;
• Shame those who are corrupt by sitting on dharna in front their houses;
• Educate and create awareness among the youths on redress mechanisms;

Dealing with terrorism/infiltration
• Special law should be enacted to fight terrorism;
• Issue Voters’ ID Card to people of Assam to check bogus voting

System
• Check corruption by making the system better and inculcate moral values even in those who are adults (if possible);
• The financial transactions of all arms of state, legislature, executive, judiciary and the fourth estate be made public on a regular basis;
• Bring Income Tax returns of individuals and firms within the purview of the RTI;
• The CVC, CBI, Lokpal should be given autonomy on the pattern of autonomy enjoyed by the judiciarys
• The appointment of the Lokpal has to be transparent and broad-based.

Police
• Set-up a national security commission and a police complaint authoritys
• Separate law and order from investigations
• Fix tenures of police officers, ranging from a police inspector to a DGP;
• Institute a Police Establishment Board headed by the DGP of the state to oversee transfers and postings of subordinate officers;
• IAS officers are as responsible as politicians in promoting corruption; better institutions should be created to bring in transparency and more accountability in bureaucracy.

Black Money
• Black money in domestic circulation is 80 per cent and only 20 per cent is stashed abroad; easier to recover the money that is in the country;
• Hack accounts of Indians in the banks of tax haven countries, display the contents on websites, retrieve the money;
• De-notify after withdrawing all high currency notes and make all transactions compulsory through cheque or debit cards;
• Government should take immediate steps to sign all international treaties that can help tackle the issue;
• India should get a resolution passed at the United Nations against Switzerland and other tax haven countries that are keeping the money that goes on to finance terrorism.

( Note Prepared by  Surajit Dasgupta )

India Under Siege - What's the Way Out?

Date- 27th May

Venue: Constitution Club, New delhi.

Well begun is half done. RSA had organised a colloqium on May 27th, to discuss and prospect the ways to counter corruption which has been plaguing our nation for the last few years.Ordinary citizens as well as other organizations were invited to join and share their views to tackle the menace of corruption. The prominent organisations which participated on May 27th function were Transparency International, the Fifth Pillar and India Against Corruption. 

The key agenda were:

a)Lokpal Bill.

Devising review committee to analyse various corruption laws to strengthen the system and also to ensure transperancy and accountability in decision making.

b)Citizens’ struggle with the system to get justice:

c) Preventing transfer of black money to foreign banks in tax haven and Retrieving that money:

d) Ratify international law

e)International Extradition Treaty

Those who spoke from the dais were Karnataka TN Chaturvedi, founder chairman of the Rashtriya Swabhiman Andolan, KN Govindacharya, anti-corruption activist Vineet Narain, former DGP of Uttar Pradesh Prakash Singh, senior journalist and social activist Ved Pratap Vaidik, former CBI joint director BR Lall, JP movement activist Rambahadur Rai, senior lawyer and member of BJP national executive Amitabh Sinha, All India Ansari Samaj President-young Muslim leader Mohammed Seraj Ansari, senior lawyer Ashok Arora, and researcher-journalist-activist Surajit Dasgupta.

Foreword

This blog is dedicated to the cause of "Rashtriya Swabhiman Andolan" ( National Pride Movement ) Citizens who are willing to spare their time for  the noble cause of Nation Building can join us.RSA welcomes everyone equally irrespective of their Caste, creed or religion.We preach and practise only one community - India.