Journalism of Courage
Previous Army chief Gen (retd) V K Singh formally joined hands with activist Anna Hazare Monday and demanded the immediate dissolution of Parliament and fresh elections saying the government was not following the constitution.
Singh,who has been seen at Hazares campaigns after retiring in May,said his experiences while traveling across the country over the years had caused him to identify with Hazares fight against corruption.
The issue is not V K Singh here. The issue is the fight against corruption. My experiences touring the country over the years have led me to join this movement, he said. He denied that the controversy over his birth date had anything to do with his stance.
Jointly addressing the media with Hazare,the former Army chief said the two of them had discussed governance in the country at present,and concluded that people had the right to overthrow a government in a democracy if it was found to be inadequate.
The government today,instead of being a welfare state,is being driven by market forces and is imposing neo-liberal policies on people. It is not concerned about the well-being of common people but is instead functioning to help private companies make profits. Not even a single member of Parliament has cared to raise this issue, said Singh.
In the midst of corruption and scams,the general public has lost all trust in Parliament. Our parliamentarians are silent on bringing back the black money lying in banks abroad. The new government should get this money back in the country, Singh said.
He also criticised the UPA saying its economic reform measures announced in recent weeks such as allowing FDI in multi-brand retail,limiting LPG subsidies and raising the price of diesel only hurt people. UPA-2 has taken these decisions without the support of the other parties in the coalition, Singh said.
The retired general and Hazare also spoke about what they called the exploitation of natural resources such as water,land and forests for the gain of industrialists. The gap between the rich and the poor is increasing everyday. Instead of protecting the underprivileged sections such as Dalits,Adivasis,fishermen and Muslims,this government is doing nothing for their upliftment, Singh said.
He said all political parties need to be open about whether they want to follow neo-liberal policies or those of a welfare-state. Let all parties put forward their stand on this breach of trust and let the people decide whether they want a government to be run according to the soul and spirit of the constitution or driven by the marker of neo-liberal policies. At the same time,they should also have the right to recall if they feel that the government is not performing, he said.
Despite disassociating himself from India Against Corruption and Arvind Kejriwal due to his opposition to forming a political party,Hazare said he would support Kejriwal if he contested elections.
Hazare said their plan was not to get into government or control it through a remote control but to ensure that people have a say in the way the country is governed. We will tour the country starting January 30,for one year and awaken the masses. We want many more people to take to the streets as compared to the movement in August last year, said Hazare.
