Time for a Dandi march against corruption

It is a march meant to recall that famous Salt Satyagraha, marked by the Dandi march that Mahatma Gandhi led on March 12, 1930, to protest British monopoly on salt.

Over eighty years later, a group of people in different states of the country — and also many Indians living in Singapore, Hong Kong, London, and Dubai — will participate in Dandi march-II, to fight corruption. And one of their demands is the enactment of the long-pending Jan Lokpal Bill.

In Bangalore, the march will be flagged off by freedom fighter HS Doreswamy on March 26. The idea of the march originated in the US, where a group of NRIs set off on a 240-mile walk on March 12, the anniversary of the Dandi march.

Their journey is set to end on March 26. Indians in over 50 cities around the world will march in support of the movement against corruption in India.

Sumit Gupta, a software engineer, who is also involved with the organization of the event in Bangalore says that the need for a struggle involving people who otherwise had little to do with politics became more urgent with the revelations of the massive abuse of public money in the Commonwealth Games and 2G Spectrum scams.

“These scams were widely reported in the international media, and they brought shame to the country,” Gupta says, adding that the group of marchers in the US has found a presence in discussions in the virtual world.

Many NGOs involved in working against corruption have joined hands with the marchers. India against Corruption, Saaku, 5th Pillar, People for Lok Satta, Youth for Better India are all lending support to the march.

Here’s how you can join
On March 26, at least 500 people are expected to march, staring at 8 am from Sirsi Circle and wending their way through National College, Town Hall, Banappa Park, Mysore Bank, Freedom Park, Vidhana Soudha and then congregating at MG Road at 11.30.

This march is expected to launch a movement for the tabling of the Jan Lokpal Bill, which has been left hanging for 42 years. Once this bill becomes an act, it will empower ordinary citizens to file complaints of corruption with the ombudsman (lokpal) against those holding the highest public offices, like the prime minister, other ministers and MPs.

“On April 5, Anna Hazare plans a fast unto death in New Delhi to press the demand for tabling the Lokpal Bill. Activists from other cities too will sit on similar fasts,” says Gupta, adding that although prime minister Manmohan Singh promised that the bill would be passed soon in 2004, he has done little to make it a reality, even turning down a request from Anna Hazare to table the bill, saying it could not be done before May 13.