Interesting comments on First Post article on how hype killed substance (IAC press conference)

Below is an extract of the comments posted in the First Post. I have modified it, to read it completely visit the link posted above. Why the move from a civil society to political party has damaged the Jan Lokpal movement.

The Civil society movements had for the first time in our History had come out with a good attempt to convict the corrupt and raised a lot of issues for debate. But the move to form a political party has damaged this movement and moved from substance to hype.

The problem with IAC's maximalist Janlokpal is that it seeks to create an unelected body (the Lokpal) which will have sweeping powers over the elected legislature, the elected executive and even the judiciary. This should make the skin of any true (and mature) democrat crawl. We need a less draconian Lokpal law that does not create an unelected body even more powerful than the three pillars of the elected legislative, the elected executive and the judiciary in our democracy.

It is the simple concept of separation of powers that holds constitutional frameworks and democratic structures together. We need a separate National Judicial Commission to deal with corruption in Judiciary instead of clubbing it inside an all-powerful God-like Lokpal. The citizens' charter must be made separate from the Lokpal and dealt with a separate body, else the institution of the Lokpal will simply be flooded with too much work and become essentially useless.

There should be a proper collegium that appoints the top members of these important bodies like the CVC, CAG, EC, the future Lokpal, etc., instead of just the President (who must constitutionally do what his sole advisor, the PM, suggests).

An autonomous CBI for anti-corruption cases only is a good idea. It can either be made possible through the Lokpal route or by giving investigation and prosecution wings to the existing constitutional body CVC with necessary amendments to empower the latter.

From a civil society movement a leftist political ideology of Kejriwal and Bhushan has emerged to reap political dividends. Kejriwal has been feeding lies like "only we are correct and pro-aam aadmi, and everybody else is wrong and anti-aam aadmi" kind of untruths. They have been peddling Jan Lokpal as a snake-oil a cure for all ailments.

In Singur and Nandigram, Mamata had out-Marxed the Marxists. Now it seems Kejriwal will out-Mamata Mamata herself! It is indeed pitiful, that even more than 300 years after the worldwide industrial revolution (that made the western world prosperous and developed), industrialization is still a topic of "debate" in India! What the entire world realizes and takes for granted, is still a matter of politics in India. Somebody needs to drill it into the leftist, that industrialization is a GOOD thing.

It is GOOD if land is acquired to set up factories, power plants, industries, SEZs, etc. It is GOOD if India (and Indians) move out of agriculture towards manufacturing and services! An elected Arvind Kejriwal will cause more harm and destruction to India socially, politically and economically. If it were up to the leftists, everybody should just give up their cities, cars and careers, and head back to the villages in bullock carts to take up farming.

On a personal note, as a one-time supporter of Arvind Kejriwal, this pitiful decline in his crusades has been saddening. From a perfectly legitimate and important anti-corruption movement for a strong Janlokpal law, he has moved to a typical far-leftist anti-power-plant and anti-economic-development rants. And for  what? Just for those usual poor-illiterate-rural votebanks that the other leftist parties of India chase after?