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| Not my movement |
FACT: Describing his detention by police as the beginning of the "second freedom struggle", Anna Hazare on Tuesday asked people to participate in a "jail bharo" agitation. "My dear countrymen, second freedom struggle has begun and now I have also been arrested. But will this movement be stopped by my arrest. No not at all. Don’t let it happen,” Hazare said soon after being detained by police.
OWL WATCH: No. this is not the second freedom struggle. I saw one rickshaw puller who was slashed and abused today by a "freedom fighter" who reached to join the protest corner riding a rickshaw and tried to give that rickshaw puller a less remuneration. The “freedom fighter” also threw some abuses in a sense that the rickshaw puller has no right to live in this country.
If we dream it as 'freedom struggle', we are negating our freedom struggle by which our ancestors compelled the outsiders to step back to their native. This is a struggle of existence of corruption. This is struggle between less corrupt and more corrupt. This is struggle of power. This is a struggle by moneyed men to oust more moneyed men from power.
The freedom struggle was led by veteran leaders of our country and the people who lost their lives struggling. In this movement except Anna Hazare none is of that stature. Anna is alone fighting in this struggle. He is in euphoria that majority of common Indians are with him in this struggle. Some moneyed people who can afford their time in some other issues for their long term interest are involved in this movement. Some youths who are “facebook frenzy” are getting attracted because they don’t like politics and political leaders much – this gap has been implanted to the youths of India only by the corrupted politicians of India.
Struggle by every Indian is yet to come. The time has not reached for that intensified movement for common people of India. Majority of Indians are completely unaware of Anna’s movement against corruption, today also they are in search of work to earn their bread. It is not a fight between 'have' and 'have not'. It is too early to label it a freedom struggle.
