Second war of Independence

The silence of good people is more dangerous than the bad deeds of the sinister. There is a group in the city that refuses to remain silent. This election, they will do everything to help voters keep criminals and looters out of office.
In 1999, a few professors of the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) became concerned about the deterioration of political standards in the country.Instead of intellectualising, they formed the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), a non-political organisation working for “better governance and democracy on behalf of the voters�. Founding member of ADR Prof Trilochan Sastry has been instrumental in forming the Karnataka Election Watch Committee (EWC) in the city. He says, “India’s top leaders are involved in so many scandals, we need to do something about it. Otherwise, our country is not going to move forward.�
Because of ADR’s initiatives, the Supreme Court passed a judgment (March 13, 2003) requiring candidates to file sworn affidavits along with their nomination papers containing their criminal and financial background. The Election Commission (EC) has asked candidates to file expense statements every three days during the campaign. Campaign expenses are limited to Rs 15 lakh (Lok Sabha) and Rs 10 lakh (assembly elections) per candidate. “In a democracy every citizen has a right to information.� We should exercise that right. “Only you and I can change the political system, not politicians,� says Prof Sastry.
“Citizens can bring any violations of candidates to the notice of the EC or to us. If you see a candidate spending more than necessary or distributing money or liquor, you can inform us,� he says.
The group has taken upon itself to collect and disseminate information about candidates to voters around the state. They will bring out a Karnataka Election Watch Report five days before the elections. “Any candidate who spends a lot of money is not going to work for us. Once elected, he will concentrate on recovering the money spent by looting the state ex-chequer or doing favours to his donors. Our campaign is not about disqualifying candidates, but about disclosure of information to voters,� says Prof.Sastry
Why do they do what they do? Prof Sastry asks, “Why did Bhagat Singh fight? He only lost his life. Why did people fight for independence? If our political masters were white they would have been lynched and thrown out of the country long ago. Now, people are sick and tired of this diseased system. This is our second war of Independence.� Thus begins a new revolution in the city to create a better future.
(Every week Banglore Live will bring you people, places and issues that make this city vibrant, alive and kicking)
sudhapillai@indiatimes.com