IS TEAM ANNA GOING THE GBA WAY?

By Nisser Dias.
20th Oct 2011

In the current week we are hearing on the television and reading on the newspapers that there has been a lot of mix-up and misunderstanding between the members of Team Anna. Two prominent personalities like noted lawyer Prashant Bhushan and RTI activist Arvind Kejriwal were assaulted. Another two members quit core committee of 22. Then there is confusion between Anna Hazare and Prashant Bushan over the latter’s comment on Kashmir.

What Team Anna was for the entire country, Goa Bachao Abhiyan (GBA) was for Goa. Sadly though as both the movements grew and received immense support from the citizens of the country and the state, believing that these groups would catapult us into a new era or rather a new India, where corruption at all levels would be curtailed and destruction of our hills and fields and shoreline and our countryside would be stopped. Instead cracks developed in the groups.

Some personalities who came into limelight because of the movement, carved a lifesize image of themselves and became despotic. They started considering themselves bigger than the issue and the entire structure started crumbling and finally bit the dust. It happened to GBA and similar situation is unfolding in Team Anna.

The reason being each core member wanted his will to be adopted, each core member wanted to be the spokesperson of the movement, each of them had their own opinions on the issue and instead of coming to a consensus within the core group, they publicly voiced their opinions even going to the extent of indulging in character assasination thereby creating a divide among themselves. Some members in the GBA became so addicted to being in the public eye that they did not want to resolve issues but wanted, ‘The mess to continue’.

Team Anna is going through a similar crisis that GBA has already experienced. Can we forget that after the massive GBA rally at Azad Maidan in December 2006, some miscreants had vandalized Patricia Pinto’s house at Campal in a bid to dissuade her, many other members had received threatening calls to disassociate themselves from GBA, but the movement carried on for some time with vigour and enthusiasm because of collective decision making. However when the movement slowed down, some publicity hungry members felt like fish out of water due to lack of being seen on television or news dailies. Similar situation seems to have developed in the Anna Team with eminent lawyer being manhandled and a shoe being thrown at Kejriwal. Then Prashant Bhushan making a public statement on Kashmir and the media aligning the same as the stand adopted by Team Anna thereby creating differences between prominent members of Team Anna.

Another parallel that can be drawn from Team Anna and GBA is that both the movement had managed to put the governments in power be it at the Union or state level in the dock and forcing them to retract from its stand and follow the dictum of the people of this country and state. Team Anna and GBA tasted success at every stage with great difficulty though. It is at a crucial stage like this that either members of the group or people at large start expecting more. They view activist as an aspirant to contest the election and being their voice in assembly or Parliament. But when the person who is seen as their choice outright rejects the proposal then the masses feel betrayed. And Dr.Oscar Rebello a victim of such a campaign. He led the GBA movement from the front. He was seen as a new avatar to replace our corrupt elected representatives but when he refused he was painted as a traitor.

Similar situation is likely to arise in Team Anna, citizens of this country will expect Team Anna to form a party and contest elections and if that does not happen, Anna’s fight against corruption will be termed as a farce and maybe a show to collect money from people.

Then just as GBA initiated a programme by organizing public meetings all over the state to educate voters on whom to vote, how to vote and why to vote, Team Anna also started such a programme but the difference was they visited places where by-polls were being held and urged voters not to cast their ballot in favour of the Congress party and it did have the required effect, Congress candidates in four different states were defeated. Nevertheless Team Anna also suffered a setback as two of its members Rajendra Singh and P V Rajagopal quit as members of the Core Committee as they felt that the Team was turning political.

Be that as it may, the writing on the wall is crystal clear for decade long rule of Congress led UPA government at the Union level and the 5 years old Digmabar Kamat government at the state level that Team Anna factor is going to play a major role in the ensuing assembly elections in the state and four other states that are going to polls next year.

If the Union government continues to dilly-dally with the Jan Lokpal Bill and fail to table and see its safe passage in the Parliament during the winter session the Congress regime is bound to face the wrath of Team Anna and its supporters all over the country even though during its reign in power for the last ten years high profile politicians are incarcerated in Tihar jail on charges of corruption.

In Goa, ministers in Digambar Kamat led government are alleged to have amassed huge amount of money, wealth and assets during the last five years, but the wheels of justice have not yet started churning in Goa but I hope that very soon they are going to move. But we should not wait for it to happen we should make it happen and make it happen during the 2012 assembly elections by refusing to vote for corrupt candidates and vote for new faces whose integrity is intact. I will not say not to vote for a particular party because we hardly have a choice and worse still regional party office bearers in Goa are as bad as national political party leaders.

The only choice before us is to elect an educated, articulate candidate – independent or otherwise who will stand up against corruption and injustice. A candidate who will function as per the pulse of the people and not by party dictats. I very well know that I am talking of an ideal candidate and let’s hope we find some, maybe so far we have expected them to fall from heaven but this time round let’s put our hands together and start digging a little deeper till we find them.
Send your comments/reactions to nisserdias@gmail.com Or SMS 9422437029)
(Nisser Dias writes a regular column in GT every Thursday).

For Goa News Log on to WWW.nizgoenkar.net

ADV. AIRES RODRIGUES URGED SUPREME COURT TO EXPEDITE HEARING AGAINST JR. RANE.

SUPREME COURT URGED TO EXPEDITE HEARING OF PETITION AGAINST HEALTHMINISTER VISHWAJIT RANE.

The Supreme Court has been urged to expedite the hearing of theSpecial Leave Petition filed by Adv. Aires Rodrigues against Goa’sHealth Minister Mr. Vishwajit Rane in the threat to kill case.

In an application filed before the Supreme Court Adv. Aires Rodrigues has prayed that in the interest of justice his petition be heard expeditiously. The Supreme Court on 13th December last year had after hearing the petition issued notices to Health Minister Mr.Vishwajit Rane and the Chief Secretary of Goa but the petition has not yet come up for final hearing.

In his petition before the Supreme Court, Adv. Aires Rodrigues haschallenged the Bombay High Court’s order which had quashed the chargesheet against Health Minister Mr. Vishwajit Rane in the threat to kill case.

A Division bench of the Bombay High Court at Goa comprising of JusticeA.S. Oka and Justice F.M. Reis while quashing the charge sheet against Health Minister Mr. Vishwajit Rane had held that an offence under Sec 506 ( threat to kill) of Indian Penal Code was non-cognizable.

Adv. Aires Rodrigues has in his petition before the Supreme Courtchallenged that decision of the High Court which had held that the Goagovernment had no powers to issue a notification making Sec 506cognizable.

Incidentally Sec 506 was made cognizable by a notification issued bythe Goa Government in 1973 when Mr. Pratapsingh Rane, father of Mr.Vishwajit Rane was the Law Minister. Over the years hundreds ofpersons have been charge sheeted and prosecuted under that section. However when the Old Goa Police charge sheeted Health Minister Mr.Vishwajit Rane under Sec 506, the Goa Government suddenly took a standthat the section is non-cognizable.

A controversial proposal was hurriedly moved by Advocate General of Goa Mr. Subodh Kantak to instruct all Public Prosecutors to withdraw all cases filed by thepolice under Sec 506 of I.P.C as the section was non-cognizable.

The 73 page charge sheet was filed by the Old Goa Police against Health Minister Mr. Vishwajit under sec 506 of Indian Penal Code forallegedly having threatened on 31st July 2007 to kill Adv. Aires Rodrigues. The Old Goa Police in their charge sheet against Mr.Vishwajit Rane have named nine witnesses including his own wife Mrs.Divya Rane. If convicted Health Minister Vishwajit Rane could face upto seven years imprisonment.