A few days back there was news in the papers that a certain industrialist wanted to establish a private University in Maharashtra. He met the Education Minister of Maharashtra who in turn decided to table a bill in the state assembly that allowed private parties to establish universities in the state of
Maharashtra. Our state assemblies are ever ready to fulfill the wishes of the industrial houses. The mines of our country are being sold to these industrial houses for pennies. The companies that mine
iron ore pay a royalty of Rs.27/ per tone only. The same iron ore is sold in the open market by these companies for a price of Rs.6000/ tonne. It would be worth while to know that the expense for extracting iron and cleaning it is Rs.300/ tonne only.
Is this not plundering of national wealth?
In the same way our forests, rivers and other natural treasures are being exploited and manipulated by the wealthy and the powerful . Small landowners and farmers are being forced out of their land at a
paltry compensation in the name of development. The same land is then sold to these companies at throwaway prices. Natural resources and wealth of our country is not safe in the hands of the political
leaders and the bureaucrats any more. If nothing is done quickly then they will sell everything, even the country.
There is a big question mark that looms large; a big question mark indicating the health of Indian politics and the Indian republic. All the leaders of the so many political parties that exist are the same. We can select leaders from one party or the other but the content of that political leader will not change.
In last sixty years we have tried every political party and every political leader. But there has been no improvement in the condition of the country. One thing is certain that nothing happens when you
change political parties or the leaders.
We will have to do something more.
We have been working, for the last ten years, on various issues through our NGO “Parivartan”. Some times we worked on Public Distribution system and at other times on privatization of water. Many a times we raised issues of corruption on the development work of the government. We got partial success, too. But this success we realized was ephemeral and delusionary in nature. We got success on
the issue till the time we worked on it in that area but as we moved on to next issue the old issue became even worse than before. There are innumerable issues in our country and a sense of dejection started to seep in looking at the task in front of us. But we started to realize that the root of the problem is in the political system of the country.
All these issues crop up due to the corrupt politicians and their parties that have a nexus with criminal elements. Take the example of people involved with the grand theft of ration. These elements are under the direct protection of the political parties and their masters. When a complaint is lodged against theft of ration by a shop keeper to an inspector of food and civil supplies or the commissioner or the minister concerned, nothing happens because all these people are together in the theft. A large sum of the theft
reaches the top echelons. How can we expect justice against our complaint from the people who are robbers themselves? At places where the media or the people exert their support then as an eye wash licenses of such shops are terminated. When the pressure of the public eases the officials of the food department take bribes and the same shops are then reinstated.
In this whole drama citizens have no powers except to lodge complaints against the thieves to thieves, hoping for a stringent action that is rarely taken.
What we have started to understand is that the law of the land must empower the citizens so that instead of making complaint against the theft of ration, the people themselves could punish the shop
keeper. The citizens must have direct control over the establishment where the decision of the people is implemented by the government officers and political leaders.
Can this happen? Can one hundred and twenty crore people of this country be empowered to take judicial decisions? Citizens are the owners in a democracy. The citizens have given the right to parliament and the government to take decisions on their behalf, for their welfare. But the government, the parliament and the legislative assemblies have blatantly misused this right. Shamelessly and openly they have sold the citizens and their rights for Money.
Is it time that we the citizens take back the right that we had given to the political parties, the politicians and the government officers to take decisions on our behalf for our welfare. Is it possible? Will it create anarchy?
I have traveled a lot, read a lot and have met a lot of people to find the answers for the same. Whatever, I have understood I am presenting it in the form of this book. If you have any doubts after
reading this, please do contact us. If you are convinced with the issues raised in this book then please get involved with this movement whole heartedly. Time is very short. The wealth and the power of this country is being sold to foreign companies and countries at a fast pace. If we do not act quickly it would
be too late.
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