This fast has come to an end on August 28 after the Parliament “unanimously” adopted a resolution on August 27 containing three crucial demands of the fasting Anna. The Prime Minister sent a personal messenger, Vilasrao Deshmukh, to Anna to convey the resolution which said:

“The House discussed various issues relating to the setting up of a strong and effective Lokpal. This house agrees in principle on the following issues: (a) Citizens charter, (b) Lower bureaucracy also to be under Lokpal through appropriate mechanism, (c) Establishment of a Lokayukta 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.”

The draft of this resolution had been finalised over a dozen meetings between the so-called Anna Team and the various Government spokesmen including Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee during the 12 days of Anna fast.

It needs to be noted that the Anna anti-corruption campaign had taken shape in the midst of a period when one after the other reports of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) had focussed on huge scams and scandals involving billions of public money. CAG reports, for instance, had revealed enormity of scams in 2G spectrum, Commonwealth Games held in Delhi, Reliance K.G. Basin Oil Exploration, Air India purchases; these reports pointed to political corruption the traces of which led upto PMO doorsteps too. Interestingly, however, none of these scams were ever mentioned during the Anna campaign shielded, as it was by the fight for the Jan Lokpal Bill.

The Anna campaign and the manner in which it was focussed by media, especially the electronic media, has itself raised many questions not only in the organised working class circles but in other political circles as well. TV barons even chose to focus on Anna’s village to show how “Annas are born”. Some observers say that Anna’s fight for Jan Lokpal Bill is more a battle between rival corporate sectors, to build pressure on the UPA Government. Mobilisation of electronic media is stated to reflect the fight ending in a willful adjustment. And, Anna Hazare, these observers say, would be kept in reserve for future moves at the national level hereafter.

These observers have taken note that the Jan Lokpal Bill conceived by Anna and the Anna Team prescribed almost a nationwide set up, parallel to that of the Government, to deal with corruption in administrative as well as judicial setups at every level, including the Prime Minister, Ministers, MPs etc. In the course of the debate more Lokpal Bill drafts emerged including the one by Aruna Roy to deal with corruption below Deputy Secretary level right upto the village level; another by even Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi MP proposing the setting up a Constitutional Body like Election Commission to deal with corruption. Not much attention was given to Rahul Gandhi’s proposal for the time being. Other Bills, including the one of the Government which was already before the Standing Committee, were diluted and left for the Departmental Standing Committee to give shape to. Only future will tell what its shape will be – the Anna Team members too will present their views before the Committee when it takes up the Bill.

As said earlier, the CTUOs and trade union federations maintained caution on the entire controversy over the Jan Lokpal Bill. If any of their followers sought to participate in the Anna campaign, CTUOs did not prevent them. They had reasons for it. Some of them say that they know who are motivating the so-called Jan Lokpal Bill and also know their attitude regarding the working class and trade union movement. However, since they say they are fighting against corruption, their intentions are difficult to expose. Therefore, it is better to wait.

Queries from INTUC office showed that its leaders were quite disturbed at the manner the media focussed on Anna Hazare’s fast and campaign for the Jan Lokpal Bill. Their objection was not to the Bill as such or fighting corruption. They told this writer that 10 central trade union organisations (CTUOs) campaigned for two years about increasing, rather killing burden of unemployment and abnormal foodgrain prices on the vast mass of organised and multi-million unorganised workers. But, they asked, why the electronic media remained conspicuous by its absence? On the contrary, they focussed day and night, from Delhi, Bombay to Anna’s small village Ralegan Siddhi in Maharashtra so that people in India and abroad keep viewing him. This would not happen unless corporates including that of media have a vested interest in it, they asserted.

In this backdrop, this fact cannot be ignored that a fast alone does not break ice unless backed by needed resources and forces. For instance, Sharmila, the “Iron Lady of Manipur”, has been on fast for the past 10 years, demanding repeal of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) which she blames being responsible for violence in Manipur and the North-East. She probably holds the world record for being on the longest hunger strike. She has invited Anna Hazare to visit her State calling it “the most corruption-affected region in the world”. She said this in response to an invitation from Hazare to join his movement. Will Anna Hazare respond to her invitation?

However, whatever be the apprehensions about Anna Hazare and his campaign, the labour movement is interested in eliminating corruption which has touched sky-high during the Manmohanomics phase of liberalisation. This labour column itself has been reporting, for instance, the good work done by Aruna Roy and her colleagues in the National Advisory Council regarding Right to Information (RTI) law and Right to Work etc. as also in the fight against corruption in the implementation of NREGA in Rajasthan Panchayats.

Fight against corruption and fight against exploitation are inter-related. And, it is a long fight. The CTUOs can ignore neither. (IPA)