Press Releases Archive

Lok Satta elections historic: Dr. JP

Lok Satta Party President Dr. Jayaprakash Narayan said here today that the Lok Satta Party has for the first time in 30 years of Indian politics elected its Working Committee democratically and by secret ballot.

Releasing the list of members of the party at a media conference, Dr. JP said the party constitution provided for the mandatory representation for women, SC, ST and BC communities and minorities.

The party President nominated some competent leaders to the Working Committee to ensure representation to all districts and sections.

Dr. JP told a meeting of candidates who had already been announced to contest the Assembly elections that they should fight like soldiers since elections were only 60 days away. They should be prepared to make any sacrifice needed to preserve and protect Lok Satta’s ideology. “Millions of people have pinned great hopes on the Lok Satta. People won’t forgive us if we let them down.”

Dr. JP told the contestants that they should strive for victory without waiting for any electoral alliances and raise local resources without depending on the party headquarters for assistance.

Dr. JP said that a Campaign Committee under the leadership of movie director Tammareddy Bharadwaja had been constituted.

Referring to news reports that both Chief Minister Dr. Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy and Opposition leader N. Chandrababu Naidu had illegally amassed wealth and helped their children through irregular means, Dr. JP wanted them to respond to the allegations. He wanted a special court to be set up to go into the allegations and confiscation of their properties, if the allegations were proved. Although both leaders appeared to be indulging in serious exchanges, both of them ultimately dodged the inquiry issue after a lengthy discussion in the Assembly last year.

Monday, February 9, 2009 - 21:52

Lok Satta demands seizure of black money Secreted in Swiss banks

The Lok Satta Party today demanded that the Government of India unearth and seize nearly 70 lakh crores of rupees stashed away in Swiss banks by Indian politicians and others. The huge money would come in handy to take up infrastructure and other projects that generate employment and reverse the downturn in the Indian economy.

The State Council of the Lok Satta Party, which met here today with party President Dr. Jayaprakash Narayan in the chair, recalled that the Swiss Government as early as in 2006 had told the Government of India that it was prepared to give details of Indian’s deposits in Swiss banks if it made a request. The new disclosure norms came into force following the abuse of the system by terrorist elements. Strangely, both the Government and the Opposition parties have not bothered to pursue the Swiss offer for obvious reasons.

The resolution pointed out that a crore of acres can be irrigated with an investment of Rs. one lakh crore, and the entire arable area in the country can be irrigated with an investment of Rs.25 lakh crore. The remainder of Rs.45 lakh crore can be utilized to build roads and industries and provide employment to millions of the unemployed.

Briefing the media, party spokesman Katari Srinivasa Rao and Working Committee member Laxman Balaji said that the resolution called upon the party cadre to ensure that the Lok Satta was voted in the next elections since it alone could initiate measures for getting the black money secreted in Swiss banks by Indians.

The State Council meeting was attended by about 300 members comprising presidents of district and municipal corporation units, and elected and nominated members.

The party set a new trend when candidates contesting for various posts had to make a presentation to the delegates as to why they should be elected.

Sunday, February 8, 2009 - 18:49

Lok Satta Party rises in Karnataka

Dr. JP’s call for the launch of the Second Freedom Struggle

The silent majority of people who are fed up with the present day political culture and yearning for change will have a platform of their own with the formal launching of the Karnatka unit of the Lok Satta Party on Thursday, February 5.

Traditional political parties and politicians have turned the once noble pursuit of politics into a privately or family-owned lucrative business. Acquiring power at any cost has become the single point program of most politicians as it facilitates personal enrichment at public cost. Therefore, they use money, liquor and muscle power to induce or threaten voters. They fan feelings of hatred and spark violence in the name of caste or religion, region or language in a bid to gain political mileage. Their investment in elections yields them fantastic returns once they come to power which opens up innumerable avenues for making money.

Overtaken by despair and despondency over their inability to change the corrupt and rotten political culture, large sections of people have developed revulsion for politics altogether and started treating it as untouchable. They do not even go to the polling booth, leave alone contesting elections because in election after election they have seen only a change in players but not in the rules of the game.

But by keeping away from politics, these sections are silently but unwittingly perpetuating the old order to continue. They forget that politics and elections are about the lives of citizens and not about the careers and fortunes of politicians and parties.

It is to provide an ethical and political platform with a clear-headed, honest and practical agenda to such people the Lok Satta Party came into existence on October 2, 2006 under the leadership of Dr. Jayaprakash Narayan.

Dr. JP, as he is popularly known quit the IAS to found Lok Satta, a civil society movement. Lok Satta worked with governments, parties and civil society to bring about radical reforms in a number of areas ranging from voter registration to political parties’ funding, disclosure of contestants’ criminal background to the right to information law. Yet, the realization that real change in society comes through political action, and not through civil society action, made Dr. JP launch the Lok Satta Party.

In its short existence of a little over two years, the Lok Satta Party has repeatedly demonstrated it is a class apart from the traditional parties.

It is the only party which has conducted organizational elections by secret ballot and chosen its leaders at all levels democratically.

It is the only party which collects donations only by way of cheque and places its income and expenditure statements on its website for public scrutiny.

It is the only party which has reserved 50 percent of its leadership positions to youth and one-third to women and ensured positions to SCs, STs and BCs.

It is the only party which embraces an inclusive, practical, acceptable and national approach, transcending region and religion, caste and class.

It is the only party which does not inconvenience the public by calling for bandhs and rasta rokos and does not indulge in politics of abuse and character assassination.

It is the only party, which has come up with a powerful and practicable agenda to enhance human capabilities, and to promote dignity, opportunity and justice. The key elements of the agenda are:

  • High quality education, universal and comprehensive public healthcare (no more out-of-pocket burden for hospital costs), skills to guarantee employment
  • Setting up National Volunteer Corps to enable youth to serve the country and make a living
  • A rational, fair and inclusive approach to reservations. Opposition to unconstitutional expansion of reservations (beyond 50%) and deepening caste divisions -- 10% bonus marks in competitive exams to students of poor, rural families irrespective of caste Your browser may not support display of this image. Opportunities for growth for everyone, irrespective of circumstances of birth, through quality education upto 12th class guaranteed to all children.
  • Access to higher education to all youngsters who deserve and desire it, irrespective of means.
  • Directly elected and fully-empowered district governments Your browser may not support display of this image. Additional funds directly to the village and urban ward governments (Rs.1000/- per capita, times the population) to implement village manifestos Your browser may not support display of this image. Developing small towns with modern infrastructure. In-situ urbanization to create jobs locally and reduce migration to cities.
  • Police and Judicial Reforms: Independent, impartial, accountable crime investigation, speedy and accessible justice through local courts, procedural reforms to eliminate law’s delays, an Indian Judicial Service, and a National Judicial Commission to ensure proper appointments and enforce accountability in Higher Judiciary.
  • Zero tolerance of corruption: Independent, unified, effective anti-corruption agency, special courts in every district to try corruption cases, Forfeiture of assets of corrupt public servants and end to money laundering. Assets of the corrupt to be seized for public use Your browser may not support display of this image. Fusing of state authority with public accountability
  • Revitalizing agriculture by credit, input and marketing reforms; expanding agro-industries for enhancing rural incomes
Sunday, February 8, 2009 - 07:39

Dr. JP condemns resort to violence

Lok Satta Party President Dr. Jayaprakash Narayan today deplored and condemned the growing tendency among political and social organizations to resort to violence at the slightest pretext without realizing they are undermining democracy and the Constitution by their actions.

Dr. JP was addressing a media meet on the occasion of Mr. J. Bhagawat Rao, former Chairman of the Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation Standing Committee and more than 20 other leaders joining the Lok Satta Party at the party headquarters.

Dr. JP referred to the Youth Congress attack on the Tirupati office of Andhra Jyoti, the MRPS raid on the residence of Mr. S. Satyanarayana, M.P., in Hyderabad and the Ram Sene’s chasing of women from a pub in Managalore and said all these incidents reflected the tendency among people to take law into their own hands as they could not tolerate dissent.

Dr. JP appealed to leaders of political parties to rein in their followers and set an example to others in respecting rule of law, democracy and the Constitution. Especially, the party in power should show restraint. In this connection he quoted Voltaire who said, “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.”

In response to a question on the desecration of the guesthouse attached to the TTD temple in Hyderabad, Dr. JP demanded that the guilty be punished immediately. But a real solution lay in insulating religious institutions from political influence. “Secularism implies the separation of State from the church. It is possible only when Governments do not treat religious institutions as sinecures for political rehabilitation. The laws will have to be suitably amended”.

Saturday, February 7, 2009 - 22:29

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