Why is the Government of India right in not issuing the Notification to the Drafting committee.

On 19th October 1952 a man named Potti Sriramulu began a fast unto death in madras (Chennai) demanding a separate state of Andra for the telgu speaking people. Potti Sriramulu like Anna Hazare was a Gandhian. Nehru ignored his demands and paid no attention to his fast. For Nehru the idea of a United India in the early years of Independence was much greater than the idea of states divided on linguistic patterns. As weeks passed by, the support for Potti Sriramulu grew, hartals were called in many towns and cities, trains hijacked by his supporters and destruction of the government property was on the rise.

On 15 December, fifty-eight days into his fast, Potti Sriramulu died. This incident in our history formed the bedrock for the states being balkanized according to their language. Two days after Sriramulu’s death the Prime Minister gave in and announced a separate state of Andra for the telgu speaking class. The creation of Andra Pradesh intensified the demands of other linguistic groups demanding separate states, the result being, India got divided in 28 states and 7 Union Territories.

It is in the back drop of this incident in history that I support the government’s view on official notification. What if tomorrow The Jats ask for a similar notification for their demand of quota? What if the Assamese demand the same for their secession from the Indian Union? Here I must mention that I am one of those crusaders who support Anna’s view on corruption and Lokpal Bill, but I am also convinced that we have got what we were demanding for. We will now have a drafting committee with representative from civil society with impeccable integrity. We are also assured that the drafted Bill will be presented in the parliament in the monsoon session itself. The people’s movement needs a new turn. If we hold on to our demands assuming that the government of the day will have to eventually bow down, we are not only wasting our energy but we may also give rise to problems which may haunt the future of our nation. While Initial public thrust was necessary, we must also realize that India shouldn’t become Egypt or Tunisia. It’s time we get on to the actual drafting of a strong and a robust Lokbal bill waiting to be implemented for the last 42 years. Let us all contribute in the process on nation building by weeding out corruption, incompetency and their ilks. Remember Lokpal Bill is just the beginning of the reforms we all were yearning for and not the culmination of that crusade.