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Congresses blames US for Anna’s protests | Thoughtful India
Congresses blames US for Anna’s protests
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Suspecting a “foreign” hand behind Anna Hazare’s anti-graft movement, Congress today raised questions on the US’s statement that India would exercise “appropriate democratic restraint” in dealing with peaceful protest and asked the government to inquire how a “lone” civil rights activist is drawing support.
“US never supported any movement in India since its independence. For the first time, the US said that Anna Hazare’s movement should be allowed and there should be no obstruction to it. What was the need for the US to give this statement?
“It needs to be considered whether there is any power which is supporting this movement which wants to destabilise not only the governmnet but the country. We need to take the statement of the US seriously,” party spokesperson Rashid Alvi told reporters at the AICC briefing.
Asked whether it is the official position of the party and whether he is saying all this on the party’s behalf as UPA government has many times in past been attacked by the Left over an alleged pro-US tilt more so after India signed the nuclear deal, Alvi said “all that I have said I have said on behalf of my party.”
Asked whether Congress has made preliminary inquiries before making this allegation suggesting that the US was behind Anna’s agitation, he said “government should inquire about it and find out the truth”.
Alvi at the same time said “there are some forces also within the country (that are supporting Hazare’s agitation from behind), which needs to be found out….I am not criticising the US or any other country. But we will have to find out the truth, why US is supporting this movemement”?
“Anna is alone. Anna has no organization but only a few friends standing by him. The big question is how this movement came into existence? How people in such a large number come out to support him”? the Congress leader said.
Ahead of the proposed August 16 fast against corruption by Hazare, the US state department spokesperson Victorial Nuland had hoped that India would exercise “appropriate democratic restraint” in the way it deals with peaceful protest.
The remarks drew a sharp response from India which termed as “needless” and after that Nuland had yesterday exuded confidence in India’s ability to manage its “internal situation” in consistent with democratic values.
Source://www.dnaindia.com/
Hundreds Arrested in India Over Planned Protest
An anti-corruption protest leader whose arrest on Tuesday morning reverberated across India, sparking outrage at the government, ended the day with a very different twist: He refused an offer to be released from jail.
By 11 p.m., the scene outside Tihar Jail was playing on all-news channels across the country. More than a thousand supporters waved flags and banners, chanting slogans, as the protest leader, Anna Hazare, rejected a police release order because it contained a condition he could not accept — that he agree not to stage an indefinite hunger strike. He began one in jail anyway.
The late-night drama came after a long day in which Mr. Hazare had initially planned to begin a hunger strike at a public park in New Delhi, augmented by rallies across the country. Seeking to preempt the demonstrations, police arrested Mr. Hazare and his aides and detained more than 1,200 of his followers, though most of them had been released by early in the evening.
The spectacle roiled the Indian political landscape. Parliament adjourned for the day. Opposition political leaders assailed India’s national government, blaming officials for cracking down against peaceful protesters. Meanwhile, a top government official defended the police action as a law-and-order issue since Mr. Hazare had insisted on staging his hunger strike in defiance of a police order that he call it off.
Throughout the day, police had made a major show off force, ringing Jayaprakash Narayan Park, where Mr. Hazare had intended to lead his protest. As monsoon rains drizzled down, protesters at the park yelled slogans and voiced outrage that Mr. Hazare had been taken away.
“Why have you arrested him?” P.K. Gupta, a local businessman, shouted at officers, as he stopped on his scooter. “You should arrest corrupt people! Why have you arrested a simple, honest man? The government is atrocious. God is watching! God will not save you, Delhi police!”
For weeks, a showdown has been brewing as Mr. Hazare and his allies sought to mobilize a national movement to pressure India’s leaders into creating an independent anti-corruption agency, known as a Lokpal. He gained national prominence in April, when he undertook a fast-unto-death for a Lokpal and unexpectedly attracted thousands of mostly middle-class supporters around the country.
Startled by the popular outrage, government officials convinced Mr. Hazare to abandon that protest by inviting him and his aides to join a special committee to draft legislation for a Lokpal. Talks ensued for weeks and a Lokpal bill is now pending before Parliament. But Mr. Hazare and his followers denounced the legislation as too weak, and Mr. Hazare vowed to stage a new hunger strike this week to renew his pressure campaign.
Tuesday’s arrests and detentions come as India’s government, mired in different scandals, has spent months on the defensive about corruption. Speaking Monday during a national address to commemorate India’s Independence Day, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh dedicated nearly half his speech to corruption, expressing support for a strong Lokpal, even as he warned that no “magic wand” could sweep away the problem.
Mr. Singh said the government was introducing several bills in Parliament to combat corruption and asked that critics of the current Lokpal legislation participate in the political process, rather than stage public demonstrations. “They should not resort to hunger strikes and fasts unto death,” he said.
With India’s economy growing at roughly 8 percent a year, official corruption has become a widespread problem and a source of public disgust. Public confidence is low in the government’s ability to eradicate graft, and many people have embraced the idea of an independent Lokpal agency, beyond the controls of political parties.
Mr. Hazare’s supporters envision an organization with sweeping powers, including the right to investigate the prime minister and the judiciary. Government officials have warned that exposing the prime minister and the judiciary to the Lokpal could upset the constitutional balance of powers.
The likelihood of a Tuesday showdown became evident once Mr. Hazare applied for a police permit to stage an indefinite fast. Police responded with 22 conditions, six of which Mr. Hazare refused to accept, including a three-day limit to the hunger strike and a cap of no more than 5,000 protesters. Mr. Hazare’s allies declared these conditions to be violations of the constitutional right to protest and pledged to carry out the fast.
On Monday evening, hours after the prime minister had completed his address to the nation, Mr. Hazare went to the Rajghat, the cremation site of India’s founding father, Mahatma Gandhi, where he spent two hours meditating as his supporters began to arrive. During a news conference later that night, Mr. Hazare declared that he would commence his fast at Jayaprakash Narayan Park on Tuesday morning, despite the police order.
But he apparently had anticipated his arrest. Soon after his morning detention, a video appeared on YouTube, apparently filmed on Monday night, in which Mr. Hazare called on millions of Indians to rise up in non-violent protest against corruption. In the video, Mr. Hazare spoke as if he had already been arrested and said other leaders would guide such protests.
“The second war of independence has started,” he declared.
Mr. Hazare elicits different reactions in India. His supporters regard him as a rare Gandhian, a simple, principled man in a new, materialistic age in India. His enemies accuse him and his allies of deliberately trying to undermine the government at the behest of opposition parties — accusations they stoutly deny. Yet many Indians sympathetic to Mr. Hazare’s cause are less enthusiastic about his methods and worry that theatrical demonstrations and hunger strikes undermine democratic values.
Meanwhile on Tuesday, Mr. Chidambaram, the home minister, was denying that the government itself was undermining democratic rights by detaining protesters. In June, the government was criticized for an early morning police crackdown against followers of another anti-corruption protester, the yoga guru Baba Ramdev.
“We are not prohibiting a peaceful democratic protest,” Mr. Chidambaram told reporters. He said the police had made every effort to find a “reasonable set of conditions under which the protest can take place.”
“Nowhere in the world is a protest allowed to take place without conditions,” he added.
Mr. Hazare is being held at Tihar Jail in New Delhi after refusing to apply for bail. Neeraj Kumar, the jail administrator, said Mr. Hazare and his aides are being kept in different cells, separate from the general population. Among the inmate currently housed at Tihar are several public officials accused of corruption.
Source://www.nytimes.com/
Congresses blames US for Anna’s protests
Tweet
Suspecting a “foreign” hand behind Anna Hazare’s anti-graft movement, Congress today raised questions on the US’s statement that India would exercise “appropriate democratic restraint” in dealing with peaceful protest and asked the government to inquire how a “lone” civil rights activist is drawing support.
“US never supported any movement in India since its independence. For the first time, the US said that Anna Hazare’s movement should be allowed and there should be no obstruction to it. What was the need for the US to give this statement?
“It needs to be considered whether there is any power which is supporting this movement which wants to destabilise not only the governmnet but the country. We need to take the statement of the US seriously,” party spokesperson Rashid Alvi told reporters at the AICC briefing.
Asked whether it is the official position of the party and whether he is saying all this on the party’s behalf as UPA government has many times in past been attacked by the Left over an alleged pro-US tilt more so after India signed the nuclear deal, Alvi said “all that I have said I have said on behalf of my party.”
Asked whether Congress has made preliminary inquiries before making this allegation suggesting that the US was behind Anna’s agitation, he said “government should inquire about it and find out the truth”.
Alvi at the same time said “there are some forces also within the country (that are supporting Hazare’s agitation from behind), which needs to be found out….I am not criticising the US or any other country. But we will have to find out the truth, why US is supporting this movemement”?
“Anna is alone. Anna has no organization but only a few friends standing by him. The big question is how this movement came into existence? How people in such a large number come out to support him”? the Congress leader said.
Ahead of the proposed August 16 fast against corruption by Hazare, the US state department spokesperson Victorial Nuland had hoped that India would exercise “appropriate democratic restraint” in the way it deals with peaceful protest.
The remarks drew a sharp response from India which termed as “needless” and after that Nuland had yesterday exuded confidence in India’s ability to manage its “internal situation” in consistent with democratic values.
Source://www.dnaindia.com/
Hundreds Arrested in India Over Planned Protest
An anti-corruption protest leader whose arrest on Tuesday morning reverberated across India, sparking outrage at the government, ended the day with a very different twist: He refused an offer to be released from jail.
By 11 p.m., the scene outside Tihar Jail was playing on all-news channels across the country. More than a thousand supporters waved flags and banners, chanting slogans, as the protest leader, Anna Hazare, rejected a police release order because it contained a condition he could not accept — that he agree not to stage an indefinite hunger strike. He began one in jail anyway.
The late-night drama came after a long day in which Mr. Hazare had initially planned to begin a hunger strike at a public park in New Delhi, augmented by rallies across the country. Seeking to preempt the demonstrations, police arrested Mr. Hazare and his aides and detained more than 1,200 of his followers, though most of them had been released by early in the evening.
The spectacle roiled the Indian political landscape. Parliament adjourned for the day. Opposition political leaders assailed India’s national government, blaming officials for cracking down against peaceful protesters. Meanwhile, a top government official defended the police action as a law-and-order issue since Mr. Hazare had insisted on staging his hunger strike in defiance of a police order that he call it off.
Throughout the day, police had made a major show off force, ringing Jayaprakash Narayan Park, where Mr. Hazare had intended to lead his protest. As monsoon rains drizzled down, protesters at the park yelled slogans and voiced outrage that Mr. Hazare had been taken away.
“Why have you arrested him?” P.K. Gupta, a local businessman, shouted at officers, as he stopped on his scooter. “You should arrest corrupt people! Why have you arrested a simple, honest man? The government is atrocious. God is watching! God will not save you, Delhi police!”
For weeks, a showdown has been brewing as Mr. Hazare and his allies sought to mobilize a national movement to pressure India’s leaders into creating an independent anti-corruption agency, known as a Lokpal. He gained national prominence in April, when he undertook a fast-unto-death for a Lokpal and unexpectedly attracted thousands of mostly middle-class supporters around the country.
Startled by the popular outrage, government officials convinced Mr. Hazare to abandon that protest by inviting him and his aides to join a special committee to draft legislation for a Lokpal. Talks ensued for weeks and a Lokpal bill is now pending before Parliament. But Mr. Hazare and his followers denounced the legislation as too weak, and Mr. Hazare vowed to stage a new hunger strike this week to renew his pressure campaign.
Tuesday’s arrests and detentions come as India’s government, mired in different scandals, has spent months on the defensive about corruption. Speaking Monday during a national address to commemorate India’s Independence Day, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh dedicated nearly half his speech to corruption, expressing support for a strong Lokpal, even as he warned that no “magic wand” could sweep away the problem.
Mr. Singh said the government was introducing several bills in Parliament to combat corruption and asked that critics of the current Lokpal legislation participate in the political process, rather than stage public demonstrations. “They should not resort to hunger strikes and fasts unto death,” he said.
With India’s economy growing at roughly 8 percent a year, official corruption has become a widespread problem and a source of public disgust. Public confidence is low in the government’s ability to eradicate graft, and many people have embraced the idea of an independent Lokpal agency, beyond the controls of political parties.
Mr. Hazare’s supporters envision an organization with sweeping powers, including the right to investigate the prime minister and the judiciary. Government officials have warned that exposing the prime minister and the judiciary to the Lokpal could upset the constitutional balance of powers.
The likelihood of a Tuesday showdown became evident once Mr. Hazare applied for a police permit to stage an indefinite fast. Police responded with 22 conditions, six of which Mr. Hazare refused to accept, including a three-day limit to the hunger strike and a cap of no more than 5,000 protesters. Mr. Hazare’s allies declared these conditions to be violations of the constitutional right to protest and pledged to carry out the fast.
On Monday evening, hours after the prime minister had completed his address to the nation, Mr. Hazare went to the Rajghat, the cremation site of India’s founding father, Mahatma Gandhi, where he spent two hours meditating as his supporters began to arrive. During a news conference later that night, Mr. Hazare declared that he would commence his fast at Jayaprakash Narayan Park on Tuesday morning, despite the police order.
But he apparently had anticipated his arrest. Soon after his morning detention, a video appeared on YouTube, apparently filmed on Monday night, in which Mr. Hazare called on millions of Indians to rise up in non-violent protest against corruption. In the video, Mr. Hazare spoke as if he had already been arrested and said other leaders would guide such protests.
“The second war of independence has started,” he declared.
Mr. Hazare elicits different reactions in India. His supporters regard him as a rare Gandhian, a simple, principled man in a new, materialistic age in India. His enemies accuse him and his allies of deliberately trying to undermine the government at the behest of opposition parties — accusations they stoutly deny. Yet many Indians sympathetic to Mr. Hazare’s cause are less enthusiastic about his methods and worry that theatrical demonstrations and hunger strikes undermine democratic values.
Meanwhile on Tuesday, Mr. Chidambaram, the home minister, was denying that the government itself was undermining democratic rights by detaining protesters. In June, the government was criticized for an early morning police crackdown against followers of another anti-corruption protester, the yoga guru Baba Ramdev.
“We are not prohibiting a peaceful democratic protest,” Mr. Chidambaram told reporters. He said the police had made every effort to find a “reasonable set of conditions under which the protest can take place.”
“Nowhere in the world is a protest allowed to take place without conditions,” he added.
Mr. Hazare is being held at Tihar Jail in New Delhi after refusing to apply for bail. Neeraj Kumar, the jail administrator, said Mr. Hazare and his aides are being kept in different cells, separate from the general population. Among the inmate currently housed at Tihar are several public officials accused of corruption.
Source://www.nytimes.com/
