Protest Dharna at Azad Maidan: Against Team Anna's High handed campaign

Dear Dr. Ram Puniyani,

 

Through you, I wish to congratulate the entire team that took the courageous and timely initiative in organising the Dharna to oppose "Anna Hazare's highhanded demands for the Janlokpal above the people and the parliament". Had I been in Mumbai at the time, I would have definitely been in the Dharna. You are absolutely right in diagnosing the Anna movement as an "assault on democracy and pluralism". Indeed, there is much more to it than what meets the eye. Whether intentionally or unintentionally, there is definitely a design of steadily destroying the credibility of various democratic structures and provisions as provided in the Constitution. Nothing else would have pleased the global capital more!

 

The unprecedented financial and media support from India Inc calls for an in-depth examination of the political agenda of Team Anna. Long standing grassroots movements sustained over decades in India could never receive media attention anywhere close to what Anna Hazare'a movement managed to get within a period of few months. The flow of finance from international funding agencies and their NGOs in the country is not something that can be ignored any longer. Ford Foundation and such other agencies, American capital's Think Tanks in particular, have long been known to have been responsible for their anti-democratic interventions in Latin America. Times magazine's plans to put Anna on its front cover is yet another reason for investigating the socio-political character of Team Anna's politics. Unfortunately, I have not had the time to undertake a comprehensive analysis of all these aspects.

 

None of this, however, detracts attention from the corrupt and anti-people political class and its collusion with the India Inc and global capital in eating into democratic and social fabric of the country. But that calls for a political engagement that is entirely different from what Team Anna is pursuing.

 

I am willing to grant that there might be one or two members of Team Anna who are there without realizing the inherent dangers but then neither naïveté nor immaturity may be cited as grounds for justifying or rationalizing anti-democratic politics.

 

Pl do let me know of your future plans for making the public aware of the dangers of Anna Hazare's politics and send me the report, if any, of the Dharna.

 

In solidarity,

 

- Anil Sadgopal

Dharna to oppose Anna Hazare's Highhanded demands for the Janlokpal above the people and the parliament.

The Anna Movement has taken a very authoritarian touch. It is trying to dictate terms to the highest democratic organization of the country, the Parliament. The attempt to impose a parallel oligarchic structure on the Nation is fraught with dangers and is a deliberate attempt to undermine the democratic ethos of the country. To protest against this Anna assault on democracy and pluralism of the country, a Dharna has been organized as under.

On 22,23, and 24 December

Venue Azad Maidan- 11 Am Onwards

By Save Democracy: Save India

National Campaign for Equal Opportunities, All India Secular Forum, Indians for Justice and many other organizations are participating.

On 24^th DecemberKumar Ketkar, Adv. Zuber Azmi, Sunil Kadam, Dr. Vivek Korde,Mr. Farid and Ram Puniyani will speak amongst others. (Around 2.30 PM onwards)

Please join in large numbers to call the Team Anna bluff that THEY represent the nation and that they are ABOVE parliament