Some things happen only in India. Chai Paani. Under the table. Diwaali ki mithai – baccho ke liye!!!
Could you find an Indian who does not know the real meaning of these statements? Corruption is often called a disease. Well, in our case, it is the infection that has spread to the very blood of the society. It is no more a malignancy, it has become a cancer that threatens the very survival of everything sacred that we know as India.
What do you do when cancer strikes? Ignore it, Deny it – and it will only spread with a vengeance. You can take an extreme step – and consider cutting off the infected part- but what can you do if the whole body – the whole system is infected. You need a revolutionary therapy. A treatment that may be as painful as the disease itself….. And you need hope. Jan Lokpal Bill , I believe, is that hope.
Jan Lokpal Bill is no toothless tiger. It promises that Lokpal and lokayukta will ensure rapid action against the corrupt. It foresees penalties for guilty officers if a work doesn’t get done n a government office in prescribed timeframes. And most importantly, it allows the recovery of the ill-gotten wealth at the time of conviction.
The most recent global financial integrity study estimated that about 71 lakh crore rupees of our money is stashed up in Swiss Bank and other havens of black money. Imagine even half of that money being recovered and put in good use. Imagine better roads, no hunger, low taxes. Imagine free education, cheap medicines, public parks. It is not a dream. It is a goal we all must work hard to achieve. It is an ambition worth fighting for. I appeal to all of you present here – India is our country. Let’s not give up on it. Let’s not give up our hopes.
I understand if some of us don’t believe in Jan Lokpal Bill. This distrust breeds out of years of successive failures. Laws are routinely mended for the convenience of the law-breakers. It is easy to believe that LJP will meet the same fete. But my friends, losing hope is no answer. Jan Lokpal Bill is a bill, brought about by people like you and me, and not the government. It is a bill drafted by the likes of shri Anna Hazare, Kiran Bedi and ashok kejriwal. These people are our new age heroes. Let’s support them will all our heart, and walk towards the faint light at the end of the tunnel. This faint light, my friends, is messenger of the morning.
