Moves Against Corruption

Jan Chetna rallies were organised under the leadership of Saryu Roy to spread awareness among the people against nationwide corruption and to exhort them to come forward to protest the corrupts holding high places in the system. The first rally was held at Ranchi on March 18, 2012 on the eve of the day on which in 1974 students of Bihar successfully gheraoed (laid seize of) the state legislative assembly and the famous Bihar movement against corruption, price rise, unemployment and education system was launched. The movement spread all over Bihar. State Govt. resorted to violence and excessive force to curb the peaceful movement. Student organisations approached JP (Jay Prakash Narayan) to lead and guide the movement.

The second Jan Chetna rally was organised at Dhanbad, known as the coal capital of India, on June 5, 2012 on the eve of Total revolution day. After wide consultation during the 1974 movement JP in a mammoth rally at Gandhi Maidan Patna declared that objective of the movement will since now be Total Revolution. On this very day in the rally he was declared Lok Nayak to lead the masses. JP announced that aim of the mass movement under his leadership will be Change in System and it will not be limited to change in Power. The change in power if necessary will just be a Halt and not the destination.

The I974 JP movement has one more notable feature. It was an all inclusive movement. Everybody, a individual or an organisation was welcomed to be a participant but none was allowed to dictate his term to keep someone away as a precondition of his participation. None has authority of a short of veto power. It was an attempt to bring positive changes in the system even by associating the pro changers in the system who are willing to change. It yielded positive results when the four nation level political parties merged their identities into one Janata Party and most of the legislators of Bihar legislative assembly tendered their resignations under the people's pressure. Various socio-cultural non Govt. organisations and political parties of all hues except the communists rallied round the movement under leadership of JP. The movement crossed first hurdle of replacing the mighty central Govt. hostile to the movement but after a few years withered away due to ego clashes and revengeful attitude of some of leaders who remained confined to their pre-movement moorings were not able to see beyond it.

The motive behind organising Jan Chetna rallies is to make the people in general and those in lead role of movements against corruption and black money in particular aware of the harsh realities behind success and failures of a such movement 38 years ago and take appropriate lessons from. History does repeats but not always and also not in the same fashion. Let us move forward with a clear conscience on the road of change with lessons from past.

It has been decided to organize a rally-cum-general meeting at the Legislative Assembly Ground, Ranchi, on Sunday, 18th Match, 2012 regarding nationwide corruption, which is increasing day by day. The main aim of this rally is to find a 'mental & common platform' for different agitations which are taking place in our country against corruption. It is a known fact that people are fed up with corruption. That the youth of the nation has actively participated in the anti-corruption campaigns started by Sri Anna Hazare, Baba Ramdev & Dr. Subramaniam Swamy is proof enough of the mindset of the common man against corruption.