Media News Archive

JP to attend meeting on poll reforms in Delhi today

It’s time for proportional representation to check the role of money: Lok Satta leader

Lok Satta founder Jayaprakash Narayan will attend a meeting convened by the Parliamentary Committee on election reforms in New Delhi on May 26.

Dr. Narayan, who is also the general secretary of Foundation for Democratic Reforms, in a statement on Thursday said as Lok Satta and FDR had been striving for various election reforms, including proportional representation and direct election of Chief Ministers, the Committee extended an invitation to the meeting.

To submit proposals

The Lok Satta/FDR would submit their draft election reforms’ proposals to the Committee prepared after studying the experiences in various countries and keeping the conditions prevailing in the country in mind. Along with JP, other leaders would also participate in the meeting.

He said election reforms were urgently needed in the country as efficient and honest people were not in a position to contest elections and basic democratic principles were being violated.

Dr. Narayan said purchase of votes was the basic reason for lack of transparency in donations to political parties and increase of black money.

A candidate is declared elected even if he gets one vote more under the existing ‘First Past the Post’ system. Though there was no guarantee that spending money would ensure win, but if a candidate does not spend money, he would not be in a position to given a semblance of a fight. Thus, it is better to adopt proportional representation under which seats would be allotted to a party based on its vote share.

He also said defections and splits in political parties could be curbed by setting up multi-member constituencies to facilitate direct relations between people and people’s representatives. The party which got majority should be given 10% seats as bonus to bring in stability. The proportional representation would be ideal for India with different castes, religions and regions.

The Constitution also made it feasible to shift to proportional representation system through a simple Act, he said.

Courtesy: The Hindu

Friday, May 26, 2017 - 10:40

JP to attend meeting on poll reforms in Delhi today

It’s time for proportional representation to check the role of money: Lok Satta leader

Lok Satta founder Jayaprakash Narayan will attend a meeting convened by the Parliamentary Committee on election reforms in New Delhi on May 26.

Dr. Narayan, who is also the general secretary of Foundation for Democratic Reforms, in a statement on Thursday said as Lok Satta and FDR had been striving for various election reforms, including proportional representation and direct election of Chief Ministers, the Committee extended an invitation to the meeting.

To submit proposals

The Lok Satta/FDR would submit their draft election reforms’ proposals to the Committee prepared after studying the experiences in various countries and keeping the conditions prevailing in the country in mind. Along with JP, other leaders would also participate in the meeting.

He said election reforms were urgently needed in the country as efficient and honest people were not in a position to contest elections and basic democratic principles were being violated.

Dr. Narayan said purchase of votes was the basic reason for lack of transparency in donations to political parties and increase of black money.

A candidate is declared elected even if he gets one vote more under the existing ‘First Past the Post’ system. Though there was no guarantee that spending money would ensure win, but if a candidate does not spend money, he would not be in a position to given a semblance of a fight. Thus, it is better to adopt proportional representation under which seats would be allotted to a party based on its vote share.

He also said defections and splits in political parties could be curbed by setting up multi-member constituencies to facilitate direct relations between people and people’s representatives. The party which got majority should be given 10% seats as bonus to bring in stability. The proportional representation would be ideal for India with different castes, religions and regions.

The Constitution also made it feasible to shift to proportional representation system through a simple Act, he said.

 

Courtesy: The Hindu

Friday, May 26, 2017 - 10:36

Need for time frame to fulfill promises made to N.Andhra

Naidu repeating the mistake of Capital-centric development

Visakhapatnam: The three districts of Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, and Visakhapatnam, collectively referred to as Uttarandhra (North Andhra), remained backward on the education, health, and agriculture fronts despite having all the resources due to the indifference of the successive governments, observed speakers at a meeting organised here on Sunday.

Almost all the assurances pertaining to North Andhra given in Parliament at the time of bifurcation remained mere promises even three years after the ruling parties, the TDP and the BJP, assumed power.

The TDP government in the State was not even sending proposals to the Centre for taking up projects promised to the region even as it was constantly pursuing those in the capital region and undertaking them in the fast-track mode. Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu was bent on repeating his mistake of Capital-centric development, they said.

The speakers demanded that Mr. Naidu announce a definite time frame for completion of the projects promised to North Andhra before the party’s Mahanadu in Visakhapatnam.

Railway zone

APCC president N. Raghuveera Reddy wondered as to what was preventing the Centre from declaring the new railway zone in AP with Visakhapatnam as headquarters.

The 25 issues raised by former Minister Konathala Ramakrishna on the backwardness of Uttarandhra could be solved by implementing the promises made in the AP Reorganisation Act such as granting Special Category Status (SCS) to the State and special package to North Andhra and the backward districts of Rayalaseema.

Mr. Reddy demanded that the Mahanadu declare, as its first resolution, the completion of the projects promised to North Andhra in a fixed time frame.

Lok Satta demand

Lok Satta president Jayaprakash Narayan reeled out statistics to show the high infant mortality, low literacy, low per capita income, and rampant poverty despite a vast coastline and abundant water resources that had not been tapped. He demanded implementation of all projects under the Uttarandhra Sujala Sravathi, extension of Polavaram Left Main canal up to Srikakulam, and linking of the Mahanadi and the Godavari, which could benefit both South Odisha and North Andhra.

Former MP Kanithi Viswanadham of the BJP hoped that a fitting reply would be given to the Chairman of the Railway Board for questioning the need for a new railway zone. CPI State secretary Ramakrishna, CPI(M) State secretary P. Madhu, and former UPSC member K.S. Chalam were among those who spoke.

Monday, May 22, 2017 - 17:53

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