Dear Anna,
It is great to see the turn that your campaign took and how the protests are getting bigger. I am here in Germany and keep an eye on the Indian media to see what is going on there. Yesterday evening I heard that the government sent you a release warrant and although everybody had gathered outside of the Tihar jail to welcome you, you refused to come out until you don’t receive a written permission to continue your fast without limitations of place or number. It was a good decision which gave new energy to supporters and general people all over India who are hoping for a country without corruption.
Last time, when you were fasting in April, we all saw how quickly the government accepted your demands in order to stifle the protests which were rising fast. You and we all were disappointed by what happened then – you said yourself that the government cheated you. Now the government doesn’t know what to do anymore. You won’t let them cheat that easily once again. You showed how a serious campaign can be led, not how Baba Ramdev did.
They wanted to release you after a few hours, maybe regretting the arrest altogether because they saw the uproar happening in the country. After your arrest ministers of the government, including the Home Minister, gave explanations, telling the media that it was a necessary step in order to install law and order. They made the attempt to justify the arrest but now they say you would be free to go where you wanted! They change their colours like a chameleon! What happened, what changed? It is the public voice. The country is burning with the desire to support you, to have a voice against corruption!
Please continue and don’t accept their terms. These are the same people who cheated you in April and only three days ago one of them accused you in media that you and your team are corrupt from head to toe yourselves! They tried to kill democracy by stopping your protest but the country did not let it happen. Stay strong and don’t sign that you will back down! Let them sign that you can have your peaceful protest!
What now? If they really give you this permission, the government is lost. They won’t only give you the permission to protest, it will be as if they had already accepted your proposal for a strict law, the Jan Lokpal bill. It will be as if they accept all your terms. They don’t want that in any case to happen, because they are the ones who have to fear this law themselves.
The opposition parties, such as the BJP, as well as other non-political organizations, such as the RSS, see that the government is in a weak position and they don’t want to miss the opportunity to oppose the government. But please remember that they are also corrupt people! They only want to take advantage of the anti-government atmosphere! They are the same people, though, who don’t want to make the law against corruption strong because they, too, are corrupt! Don’t take political influence into your campaign and also not of other organizations. The RSS, VHP and other organizations with their right-wing and non-secular ideas also want to come, join you and like to be seen in your support in order to get more public support. If you admit that Hindu religious leaders are standing behind you and influence you, you can lose the support of members of other religions. You have to remain free of any party or religion, otherwise you weaken your case. So take care that they don’t sneak into your campaign. Keep your campaign a campaign against corruption, not against a certain political party and certainly not from a religious point of view.
If the government had supported this cause against corruption and if they had been the ones to pass a strong law against it, their names would be written in golden letters in the book of Indian history. But they didn’t. They lost the chance to take this credit when they arrested you and put you in jail. They took years to put corrupt ministers into jail but only a few hours to put you to jail. They are not willing to fight corruption because they all know that they are corrupt themselves.
You have become a hero once again. Even voices against you have become quiet and partly even turned to your support. People are tired of corruption and take the chance to fight for it.
I am physically not present there but with my writing I want to contribute in my way to fight corruption in India.
Sending you lots of love and the best wishes for success,