The Second Revolution of freedom in India

Freedom consists not only in the absence of restraint but also in the presence of opportunity. Liberty is not a single and simple conception. It has four elements – national, political, personal and economic.  The Constitution of India through its preambles has given its citizens its rights towards freedom. The man who is fully free is one who lives in a country which is independent; in a state which is democratic; in a society where laws are equal and restrictions at a minimum; in an economic system in which national interests are protected and the citizen has the scope of secure livelihood, an assured comfort and full opportunity to rise by merit. 

 The Preambles contains the structure of our Constitution, and spells out the aspiration of the people to secure for all its citizens Justice, Liberty, Equality and promote amongst the people a feeling of fraternity, ensuring dignity of the individual and the unity of the nation. Justice is further defined as Political, Social and economic Justice.  Indian people have got their Political independence on 15th August 1947, however social and economic justice is still not available to the people of India. The recent public unrest is an indication of the same.

             World Bank's latest estimate on global poverty states that India had 828 million people, or 75.6% of the population living below $2 a day. Sub-Saharan Africa, considered the world's poorest region, due of its geographical location and reasons, is better placed; it has 72.2% of its population (551m) people below the $2 a day level. Sub-Sahara is a desert and has extreme climatic conditions were life and vegetation is difficult to survive. However, Indian scenario is   different and the geographical location and Area, climate and resources (mineral, agricultural, vegetation, and climatic) are conducive for production of goods and services.    India, according to the new estimates, had 456 million people or about 42% of the population living below the new international poverty line of $1.25 per day. The number of Indian poor also constitutes 33% of the global poor, which is pegged at 1.4 billion people.  India is home to roughly one-third of all poor people in the world.

In the year 1976 Congress Government through a Constitutional amendment, amended the Preambles (the basic structure) of the Indian Constitution and added the words, Socialist Secular to Sovereign Democratic Republic. Then no Indian name was there in the list of top 100 capitalist’s of the world. Out of 64 years of independent India, Congress party has governed the country for over 53 years .  The Party  which had won the 2004 general election  on the slogan “Congress Ka Haath AAM ADMI Ke Saath, meaning thereby that  “The Congress hands are with the Common man”, has done little for the common man. In fact this has become just an slogan to attract votes.

            In the year 1991 Shri. Manmohan Singh the then finance minister and currently the Prime Minister of the Country began the economic reforms in India. The World Bank's latest estimates on global poverty shows that the rate of decline of poverty in India was faster between 1981 and 1990 than between 1990 and 2005. This shows that economic reforms, which started in 1991, have failed to reduce poverty at a faster rate. The gap between common man and Capitalist’s has widened. In the list of top 50 capitalist of the world there are as many as 7 Indian’s. According to the World Wealth Report recently released by Capgemini and Merrill Lynch Wealth Management, while most countries in the world have increased their High Net-Worth Individuals Count, India has more than doubled it – maximum compared to any other country in the world. . Political Parties are acting against the spirit of the Indian Constitution to build Socialist India has in fact helped the capitalists to amass wealth. India tops the list for black money in the entire world with almost $1,456 billion in Swiss banks, followed by Russia $470 billion, the UK $390 billion, Ukraine $100 billion and China, with $96 billion. Indian Swiss bank account assets are worth 13 times the country’s national debt. Most of this money has been stashed away in banks in ‘tax havens' abroad over the last 60 years by corrupt  politicians, industrialists, bureaucrats and middle-men.

The UPA government with Shri. Manmohan Singh, as its Prime Minister has been named as a Government of Scam’s. Every day new scams have been reported in media and billions of Dollars of public money is been diverted in corrupt hands of politicians, bureaucrats, middleman and industrialists. There is wide spread public unrest in India and people are protesting against the same. However the Government is defending its corrupt practices and any Individual or Institution which raises voice against these practices has to face the wrath of the government lead by the Congress party. Government machinery lead by Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has been pressed against the whistle blower and he is regularly been harassed by the Govt. machinery.  The CBI has now been renamed by people as the Congress Bureau of Investigation.  Reports of constitutional bodies as The Controller and Auditor General of India are thrown in waste baskets and shamelessly its validity denied. Image of people and Institutions pointing corruption are been tarnished and every attempt is made to spoil his public image.  The recent police atrocity on Baba Ramdev and his disciples in Delhi and the treatment received by the Government to Anna Hazare and Civic Society members has clearly revealed the same, and much is desired to be done in the direction of  personal, civil and national liberty.

     History reveals that India fell mainly because her people were at the critical hour divided and disorganised. Her influence waned when the forces of disintegration, political and social, were at work. If we left our neighbours alone, we revelled in internal strife which ceased for a time when great kings like Ashoka and Akbar ruled over the destinies of India – mighty men, who sought to unite the teeming millions of this vast sub-continent by the bond of a common aspiration and a passionate longing for the eternal code of righteous conduct, charity and understanding. A strong and united India fearing no one and loving all, brought messages of peace and goodwill to distracted world. But as soon as the sceptre dropped from their hands, when the grip over the country was loosened through weak and short-sighted successors, when narrow selfishness and mutual jealousy and distrust overpowered our souls, when local feuds and religious strife raised their ugly heads giving rise to social exclusiveness and moral decadence, unity was lost; freedom, man’s priceless treasure, disappeared.

            The public support to Anna Hazare in his effort to draft a Peoples Lok Pal Bill to fight graft and corruption has received wide support through out the country. People from each and every walk of life are lending support to this fight against corruption. Men’s and women irrespective of their caste, creed and religion were all assembling in public places singing patriotic songs and slogans to support this cause. Streets of the nation are lightened at midnight and people were out on road waiving the National Flag and burning candles in support of the Gandhian leader Anna Hazare. It appears to be the second  Fight for independence for the people of India.