Voters displayed extraordinary maturity: Dr. JP

Voters in India at both the State and national levels displayed extraordinary maturity in rejecting opportunistic alliances struck solely to grab power, said Lok Satta Party President Dr. Jayaprakash Narayan here today.

Addressing the party’s State Working Committee, Dr. JP said the elections were historic in that the voters refused to vote for a party that promised cash transfer of Rs.2000 per family per month. They did not succumb to politicians who sought to stoke the flames of hatred based on caste and region. That the voters returned 33 Congress candidates to the Lok Sabha compared to a mere 157 to the Assembly testified to their discretion in choosing the party that should rule the country.

Dr. JP congratulated Congress President Sonia Gandhi, Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and Chief Minister Dr. Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy on their remarkable performance in national and State elections.

Dr. JP pointed out that the Lok Satta could not translate the abundant good will it enjoyed into votes because it did not have competent leaders who could inspire confidence among rural voters. It enjoyed enormous good will because it had a powerful agenda, and the middle classes had begun to own it. It was ignored by the media owners who had their vested interests to pursue, although media personnel by and large stood by the party. There was no reason to get dejected by the media’s attitude since the aberration would turn out to be transient. The media could not afford to antagonize the middle classes, its major constituency. “As a moral institution, the media is going to stand by the people and support the cause of democratic transformation.”

The Lok Satta as of now was in no position to guarantee that it would safeguard rural voters from feudal oppression if they exercised their franchise freely. It, therefore, envisaged formation of citizen service centers in every constituency to serve as a bridge between people and governmental agencies and safeguard them from factional pressures.

Underlining the need to strengthen the party with cooption of competent leaders and raising of adequate resources, Dr. JP said, “We are engaged in a war and we need soldiers who are prepared to fight. I am not enamored of earning a name and fame but only interested in transforming the country. Join me and share the glory.”