I disagree with the assertions of Pranab Bardhan. The demands for public
accountability of politicians has been going on since 1968 (see:
http://www.prsindia.org/billtrack/earlier-lok-pal-bills-1824/) and those who
think that this legislation (if done right) will not have a substantial
effect should look at the impact of the Right to Information Act 2005
(which, incidentally, was also resisted tooth-and-nail by those in power for
decades).
While I agree that one can be cynical about the selective protests by the
middle class (see for example:
http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?278060), one cannot argue that the
beneficiaries of this reform would be restricted to only that class. The
participation of the middle class in any social/political reform is crucial,
because nobody listens to the poor and the dispossessed (unless of course
they take up arms). I, for one, is glad to see the apolitical Indian middle
class reinserting themselves in the socio-political dialogue of the country.
Deb.
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