Jail Bharo or fill the jails is an interesting concept. Paralyse the administration, paralyse the police till your objective is met.
There are many ways of getting to jail. The most simple way is to break the law. Preferably commit a crime.

The single biggest problem with Jail Bharo is that the jails are already well over capacity. The Asian Age says:

Indian jails suffer from 29.2 per cent overcrowding with the total prison population at a staggering 3,84,753 which is 0.034 per cent of the total population of the country. The home ministry last week reviewed the conditions of prisons and noted that most states have not been able to reduce
the number of undertrial prisoners who are constituting 67 per cent of the total prison population.

You can find more prison stats here.

One appreciates Team Anna’s marketing prowess in revoking the slogan “Jail Bharo” – but one also marvels at their lack of knowledge of either contemporary Indian Histroy – freedom struggle, and of current Laws. People got arrested for asking for independence or participating in the freedom struggle in the pre 1947 era. Today, the right to protest peacefully is enshrined in the Constitution. So to get to jail, you have to do something more – break the law. So is Jail Bharo a call to riot ? a call to vandalise? a call to do what?. The system can’t simply deprive people of their freedom if they haven’t done something wrong.so what wrong are you compelling your supporters to do ?

For all the youngsters, who in your idealism want to break the law and get to prison, a small reminder. IF you go to jail, you will may have  end up with a criminal record. That record stays for ever and ever and ever. It will come into play when you apply for a job, your passport, want to go abroad to study or work. I am not sure if it will impact a bank loan – but i am not sure that the banks will give a loan to someone who had a record … not ordinary people with a record, in any case. No one will tell you this, because it suits them not to. For those proposing jail bharo – you are a head count. for the media, you are drama. If the government tells you not to- they will be a bully. So everyone will keep quiet. While Jail Bharo sounds great – it will not make an iota of difference to anyone but you. A better way to curb corruption is to promise never to pay a bribe. never to break the law. Never to tolerate it in your family and neighbourhood. Enough of you do this, corruption will reduce.

For all those grown up who know the risks – hats off. I don’t agree with the IAC and civil society. But, i possilby agree with you and admire your courage of conviction. (no pun intended). Only one request to you – don’t get used by these political animals. they are not in it for the country, they are in it for themselves. you are but tools.

Addendum

This post has spawned both positive & irate responses. For the positive one’s thank you. 

Forthe irate responses both on twitter and on this blog from those who are Team Anna fans, you would think that i asked people not to take part in the Jail Bharo scheme … no. Simply said be aware of the consequences. Figure if IAC has lawyers on site to take care of issues.else contact a friendly lawyer. After understanding all the consequences, you still want to do this – great… but don’t go in blind. 

I was 6 when Emergency was declared in 1975. So, my memories of the period in India are kind of vague.  Too young to read papers, too young to understand what was going on. We lived in Delhi- dad was posted there. We lived in this house in what was then EPDP colony near Greater Kailash (am not even sure if it exists now).

what I remember were these huge arguments between my father and mother about Emergency. My mother is a political scientist – a professor. Terribly anti emergency. My father worked for the State Trading Corporation – honest to the core (we used to hunt for change during month ends to make ends meet. ) and terribly disillusioned with the open corruption around him. Plus there were issues of hoarding. Dad told me, much later, they could never afford to buy cooking oil till Emergency was declared. During that period, the price of oil came down from what ever rate it was at, to Rs64 for 16 litres …he said ‘she put all those bas****s in prison” (hoarders). My grandmother told me – we could make sweets at home for deepavali because sugar became affordable.

My mother was a great supporter of Vinoba Bhave and by default, Jaiprakash Narain (though JP and Vinoba Bhave fell out on the Emergency, JP opposed it and Vinoba Bhave supported it ) . My dad had great respect for Vinobha Bhave, but thought – and it is a view he holds till date – that JP was a traitor (for calling for the armed forces to revolt). Naturally they argued. Other couples fight about gold and jewellery, my parents have always had arguments on the State of the Nation. And, as a 6 year old I was terrified when my parents fought. Try explaining to someone that age  her parents were fighting on ideology. The fights were loud, passionate and ideological .. i remember my dad telling my mother that she will go to jail for her views …and my mother’s repartee fast and quick .. “when i come out i will be a minister” .. for a long, long time I thought you had to go to jail to be a minister.

And then one day Emergency was lifted.  We were in Bombay by then – dad had been transferred. And, then the  first election that i can remember. I don’t remember it for the Janta Party winning or the Congress losing. I remember it because my father came home from work and sobbed – that is the first time I saw him cry. Indira Gandhi had lost. I wonder if i will ever feel that kind of personal loyalty to a political leader … i doubt it.. The second time I saw him cry was when she was assassinated.

It is much later, as a student in the late 1980′s that i formally read about Emergency and was horrified at the Constitutional and human right lapses. But, I remember thinking when Babri Masjid was demolished and the riots started around India – why doesn’t the Government impose emergency. A thought I  was immediately ashamed of, but a thought that had come to my mind, nonetheless.

I see a lot of chatter on twitter on the imposition of  Emergency in the current context. I don’t think so. India is very different now than it was then.

• AT the very basic level neither Sonia Gandhi nor Dr. Singh are Indira Gandhi
• At the second level, there is no absolute majority in Parliament.
• it is also about who rules the States. Then it was Congress all the way- Centre, State (except Tamil Nadu & Gujarat (thankyou @ChandrusWeb for pointing that out), Local Government … now it is not.
• also, India was a closed economy with the bulk of the economic activity conducted by the Government. The activity it didn’t conduct, it controlled. Today it is not. It could be freer but, in no way is it any where like the 1970′s
• Also, demographics have changed. More prosperity. More awareness. Whether the demographics will have an issue with dictatorship or not, I don’t know. But, a larger educated middle class (when compared to the 1970′s) may also deter such ideas.

I should say there is more media now than then and they too will oppose Emergency. but I can’t. , but the media in India has been terribly supine in the face of power. The Ramnath Goenka who left a blank editorial rather than submit it for censoring is gone. I  can’t see the media standing up to a blatant display of power ( I Hope that i am wrong).

That doesn’t mean complacency on our part vis-a-vis our Freedoms. Given any Government half a chance, and they will want to run your life for you… but, it doesn’t mean panic either.

(this post is inspired by @swarraj ‘s tweets on Emergency today on Twitter)

I was visiting Chennai Madras as it was then, in the Christmas of 1987, when MGR died and the city combusted in mourning. A few of my cousins had their vehicles beaten up and chased away by mourners (why? I have never fathomed ). And, then began the tussle for power – there was Janki and Jayalalitha fighting for control of the party. I remember an Uncle saying, with a disgusted nod, “in the land of the Pandyas and Cholas, Kamaraj and Anna – a wife and a mistress are fighting for power – is there no one else ?

Tamil politics has always fascinated me – at one level deeply emotive and personality driven, at another level – highly development focused. It is one State where the key National Players are absent. It is also a State, where the main State level players don’t show any desire to leave the boundaries of the State and spread their wings. These parties also seem to form alliances with the National players depending on convinience rather than any ideological mooring. Both state parties have been in alliance with both National parties :

So who are these parties, what do they stand for and what makes them win or lose ?

Nilakantan Rajaraman, Anand Krishnamoorthy and Chandrachoodan Gopalakrishnan - look at the complex world of Tamil Politics and what drives the politicians (apart from profit motive) through weekly podcasts called Puram the Body Politic

In the first episode they look  at the major players in the Tamil Political Scene, the Parties and the set of events that led to the Indian National Congress taking a back seat in the State.

In the second episode they look at the last decade of elections and voting trends that may help understand what could happen this time around.  a fascinating analysis..

When you hear stuff like this, you realise how lazy journalism as a profession has become … i wish there was stuff out of Calcutta that talks about the various parties, equations and analysis. One from Assam … Not the outsider trying to act ‘in the know’ the situation – but people who live in the State and have follow the system being knowledgeable about something they know about..

the podcasts make for interesting listening while driving. It is intelligent, doesn’t treat listeners like fools and sprinkled with a dry sense of humour .. look forward to more ..

If the Radia Tapes were adapted for TV then this is how I see various countries & cultures adapting it for main stream popular TV:

• The US - It will be a story of a woman’s ambition and her relentless climb to the top – that hides a back story of heartbreak and betrayal. Scripted by the likes of Sidney Sheldon (i know he is no more) – the film will possibly get someone like Glen Close to play play the heroine. It will be strong, kiss ass woman with a vulnerable heart story … And it will be out in the next 6 weeks.
• The UK – it will be a 5 part BBC (like) adaptation of Othello. Except  that Othello & Iago will be brothers. It will be directed by the likes of Kenneth Brannah – and will be moody and atmospheric. Expect a lot of beautifully shot English Country Side with classical piano music …. The women, will be the Lady Macbeth variety or the Queen Elizabeth (I) variety or the Princess Diana types, in characteristic – lots of hushed whispers and behind the scenes maneuvering.
• In France - it will be a story of sex and revenge. Lots of Sex. and illegitimacy …..
• Italy – it would be the story of a mafia family warfare.
• In Saudi Arabia – it will be a religious discourse
• In China it will be a story of feudal system breakdown and the call of revolution – with lots of choreographed violence
• In Japan – it will be violent manga set around the construction industry
• In Spain it will be story of honest Income Tax officials who bring down a cross ‘denominational’ cartel
• In Pakistan it would be comedy
• In Mexico, it will be a telenovella about a girl who swears revenge at her father’s death at the hands of a strong man ….

In India, aah that is the problem. In India it is news …..

Like many others – i read and then heard the recordings, allegedly, between a leading power broker and a leading journalist, with horror…

What caused the horror :
a) it seems that power brokers are using journalists to fix the composition of the Government

b) it seems like some journalists know about cabinet compositions much before the President – one would expect a journalist to have an in with the system — but this level of insider behavior is scary !

c) it seems as though the concerned journalist has a say in cabinet composition

d) it seems like the concerned journalist is using their good offices to act as an intermediary in a political process

e) it seems that phones are tapped – who is tapping the phones, whose phones are being tapped and to what end, and is someone monitoring those taping the calls ?