tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28464200.post905129189260271800..comments2023-10-24T20:47:13.885+05:30Comments on The Spaniard In The Works: Ambedkar's Speech, November 25, 1949Space Barhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08251329008160756254noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28464200.post-17718802204215936682011-08-23T17:28:31.111+05:302011-08-23T17:28:31.111+05:30km: oh yikes! i didn't actually put any other ...km: oh yikes! i didn't actually put any other links except those in my introductory remarks. how did so many appear?!Space Barhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08251329008160756254noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28464200.post-26597222079878996822011-08-23T17:23:58.031+05:302011-08-23T17:23:58.031+05:30I was surprised to see the Bhakti reference in the...I was surprised to see the Bhakti reference in the speech. I had naively assumed the whole religion bullcrap entered Indian politics only in the 1960s.<br /><br />(BTW, many of your links are going to your blog URL.)kmhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16040339235134145847noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28464200.post-54473279226567756992011-08-23T13:05:48.322+05:302011-08-23T13:05:48.322+05:30S: It is, isn't it?
Rajagopal: Listening has ...S: It is, isn't it?<br /><br />Rajagopal: Listening has to happen from all sides - the govt. must listen when people say the bill they have tabled is weak; but so also must Anna et al. listen when people say their version of the lok pal has huge problems. More than ever, their responsibility to take on board opinions of those who dissent, when they have first invoked it in the first place, is crucial.<br /><br />I will shortly post (after checking for permissions etc.) Aruna Roy and the NCPRI's proposals for the Lokpal Bill. There is an email to which people can send their suggestions/ideas/objections. I have yet to see the people around Anna who are doing the drafting take on board anybody else's opinion than their own.<br /><br />Let there be no mistake about Ambedkar's speech: he asks that all three arms of govt take their responisbilities seriously and says that the constitution is only as good as those who uphold it. <br /><br />And yes, they have failed. <br /><br />But I am not convinced that the only solution is to completely distrust the entire constitutional process. Even those who have drafted the Jan Lokpal Bill are products of the same process they now vilify. <br /><br />Why must this become the one thing or the other? Why, especially when there is such a groundswell of popular feeling and all things are possible, can the core group of Anna's team, not take on board serious objections to their framing of the bill?Space Barhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08251329008160756254noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28464200.post-20974079308445318992011-08-23T11:19:30.810+05:302011-08-23T11:19:30.810+05:30But listening has to be from both sides, no?. This...But listening has to be from both sides, no?. This lokpal bill has been in drafting for 40+ years. Now this government, that tolerated the Rajas and TR Balus and Dayanidhi Marans (shameful pattern for a Tamilian) and others till the supreme court had to intervene, submitted a weak ass bill to the parliament. With their majority in LS and support from "friends" in RS, they can pass this weak bill. How are we going to change their minds about it?<br /><br />We don't in India have a culture like America does of Congressmen holding town halls in their constituencies. Nor do we have a culture of calling up our MP/MLA and pressuring them to vote a certain way on an issue. Also parties would most certainly issue a whip when this issue comes up.<br /><br />How are we supposed to get this passed?. They were saying it took 15 years to get a draft of the RTI bill and then pass it. How long do we need to wait for even a weak ass lokpal bill to pass?<br /><br />I am sure I can trawl through Ambedkar's speeches and writings and come up with something that talks about the responsibilities of the elected representatives. Something that the current lot (and those before them) have failed to discharge. Would it then break the contract that Ambedkar talks about, of not resorting to Satyagraha and civil disobediance?. Isn't there responsibility on both sides - the elected and electing?. Haven't the elected failed to hold up their end of the bargain for decades now? If you think they have held up their end, then there is nothing to talk about I am afraid.<br /><br />RajagopalAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28464200.post-75558489265783544542011-08-23T10:53:18.826+05:302011-08-23T10:53:18.826+05:30This is a fabulous speech. Thanks a lot for sharin...This is a fabulous speech. Thanks a lot for sharing.xyzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09425863732092605043noreply@blogger.com