Press Releases Archive

Reform but not deride politics for achieving Surajya: Dr. JP

Surajya Movement Convener Dr. Jayaprakash Narayan counseled people to strive to reform politics instead of blaming, hating and deriding politicians. The ultimate responsibility for the present pathetic state of affairs rests with voters and not the Prime Minister or the Chief Minister or law makers all of whom they elect.

Addressing a large gathering after calling off his three-day Jana Chaitnaya Nirahara Deeksha at Dharna Chowk near Indira Park here, Dr. JP said the Steering Committee of the Surajya Movement conceived the deeksha not as a protest against either the Government or political parties but as a means to educate and enlighten people on a few basic demands. Dr. JP sipped coconut water offered by Mr. Chukka Ramaiah to mark the ending of the fast and the beginning of a widespread movement for good governance.

Dr. JP said that problems in a vast country like India with 120 crore people belonging to diverse religions and castes and speaking scores of languages cannot be resolved with a magic wand. Corruption, for instance, cannot be eradicated by locking up the corrupt in a room and shooting them down.

Dr. JP, who is also national President of the Lok Satta Party, expressed happiness over leaders of all political parties and organizations expressing their support to and solidarity with the movement.

The very fact that he and others had to go on a fast underlines the failure of the political system in India. “We claim we are a vibrant democracy, comparing ourselves to China. But democracy does not lie merely in having freedom of speech and regular elections. We cannot claim we are a democracy so long as we do not empower people to address their problems at the local level as in China. In India, people cannot get even basic services without greasing the palms of officials or exerting pressure through elected representatives.” That is why the Surajya Movement seeks devolution of 10 percent of the State’s 1.5 lakh crore annual budget on village panchayats and municipal wards.

The other demands of the Surajaya Movement are institution of a strong Lokayukta at the State level, provision of quality education and healthcare to all, guaranteeing basic services to citizens as a matter of their right and replacement of the present first-past-the-post representation system by a proportional system.

Dr. JP pointed out that the present electoral system spawned a host of evils like vote buying, liquor distribution, offer of freebies and appeals to people’s primordial loyalties since the difference of a few votes makes all the difference between victory and defeat. One cannot hope to win an election unless one buys votes, although vote buying does not necessarily guarantee one’s victory.

Dr. JP underlined that people can achieve these demands if they fight together transcending party lines. He was glad that Surjya message has reached hundreds of thousands of people throughout the State because of the three-day deeksha.

Dr. advised the youth to spare at least four days in a year to spread the Surajya message and address people’s problems at the local level.

Representatives of various political parties and organizations lauded Dr. JP for bringing all of them onto a single platform and pledged to work for Surajya goals.

Among those who addressed the Surajya meeting today were: State Congress President Botsa Satyanarayana, BJP leaders Kishen Reddy and Bandaru Dattatreya, Mr. Chukka Ramaiah , Prof. K. Nageshwar, Mr. Jupudi Prabhakar Rao (YSR CP) and Mr. Dileep Kumar (TVS), all MLCs, CPI leader Chada Venkata Reddy, CPM leader Krishnaiah, TVS leade K. Dilip, TRS leader Shravan, Tripurana Venkataratnam, Aam Aadmi Party leaders, movie director Rajamouli, Tammareddi Bharadhwaz, Farmers’ Association leaders Balaram Reddy, Hanumanthu Reddy and representatives of many civil society organizations.

Mr. Kartik Chandra and P. Shivaji administered the Surajya pledge to the large gathering which included students and youth. Mr. Katari Srinivasa Rao, Coordinator of the deeksha, proposed a vote of thanks.

Friday, December 7, 2012 - 21:09

Surajya Movement seeks to realize Dr. Ambedkar’s dreams: Dr. JP

We will be paying a real tribute to Baba Saheb B. R. Ambedkar only when we provide quality education to all irrespective of the accident of their birth in a particular caste or religion, said Surajya Movement Convener Dr. Jayaprakash Narayan here today.

Dr. JP was addressing a large gathering of students and youth on the second day of the Jana Chaitnya Deeksha launched by the Steering Committee of the Surajya Movement at Dharna Chowk near Indira Park.

Speaking after garlanding a portrait of Dr. Ambedkar on his death anniversary, Dr. JP said the architect of the Indian Constitution visualized caste barriers breaking down and everyone becoming self-reliant once every child is provided quality education. We have dashed Dr. Ambedkar’s dreams going by an OECD survey of educational standards of 15-year-old students in 74 countries. India is ranked as the 73rd and China as the first among the countries. Although the Government spends Rs.18,000 per student per year on school education, their standards are abysmally poor. Education in private schools is no better although even poor parents spend a disproportionate amount of their incomes on admitting their wards in them. Education should enable every student to compete with the son of a Collector or the daughter of a Minister in real life. Eighty percent of students who come out of colleges are unemployable.

One of the aims of the Surajya Movement is provision of good education to everyone, Dr. JP pointed out and added that politicians would buy votes or shower sops but not talk about quality education during electioneering.

The Surajya Movement would like to see citizens get basic services as a matter of right. Citizens should be compensated if there is delay in provision of services in the stipulated period and the guilty officials penalized. It wants a strong and independent Lokayukta at the State level to eradicate corruption and devolution of 10 percent of the State budget to village panchayats and municipal wards. In a State which has an annual budget of Rs.1.5 lakh crore, allocation of Rs.15,000 crore to local governments is not a big deal. Citizens need not run after legislators and officials for basic needs like drinking water and street lighting if they there is devolution of funds on local governments.

As on the first day, people from diverse walks of life and leaders of various political parties visited the camp and pledged their support to the Surajya Movement.

Addressing the gathering Mr. K. Taraka Ramarao (KTR), MLA of the TRS, said ideological differences should not prevent people from fighting shoulder to shoulder on basic issues which have a bearing on people’s welfare. He lauded Dr. JP for his ‘wonderful work’ in bringing leaders of different parties onto the Surajya platform to fight for certain core demands.

KTR recalled that he had taken part in the Surajya Movement the day it was launched on August 9, because he subscribed to its demands. The educated should take part in politics because politics and government affected every aspect of citizens’ life. He endorsed the demand for electoral reforms and decentralization of powers.

KTR expressed the hope that Dr. JP would support the Telangana demand at the all-party meeting g convened by the Union Home Minister for December 28 since it is in pursuance of decentralization of power.

Dr. N. Tulasi Reddy, Congress party spokesman and Chairman of the 20-Point Implementation Committee, commended Dr. JP for launching a movement to awaken the public.

CPI (M) leader Mr. YV Rao, Revolutionary Socialist Party leader Janaki Ram, Corporators from Kukatpally Assembly Constituency came and expressed their whole-hearted support to Surajya Deeksha.

Leaders of journalists – Devulapalli Amar, K. Srinivasa Reddy and A. Somasundaram – pledged journalists’ support to the Surajya Movement.

Among others who expressed their solidarity with the movement were Tripuraneni Hanumana Chowdary (Pragna Bharati), Shetkari Sanghatana, AP Representative Venkata Reddy, State Coordinator of ‘Khaza’ Premkumar, State Coordinator of Jai Bharath Loknath, Swadesh Jagaran Manch leader Narasimha Naidu, Samata Hizra Rights United Forum leader Vijaya Kumar, India Against Corruption representatives Hanumanthu Yadav, Rajesh, Citizen Activist from Chennai Satya Prasad, Youth benevolent Jampanna, I-Focus Representatives.

Messrs Karthik Chandra, Hyma Praveen, K.Srinivasa Reddy, D.Somasundar, Solipeta Ramachandra Reddy, Chennamaneni Rajeswara Rao, DVVS Varma, Kaki Madhava Rao, S.Manorama, P.Annapurna, MVS Raju, Prof. Anwar Khan, Dr. Rao Chelikani, Ramakrishnam Raju, Saroja and Vardhani joined Dr. JP in his fast on the second day.

Singers Vangapandu Prasada Rao and Srikant and their teams rendered patriotic and Surajya songs.

Thursday, December 6, 2012 - 19:12

Surajya possible only with public opinion: Dr. JP

Some of the top leaders of the non-partisan Surajya Movement began a three-day Jana Chaitanya Deeksha at Dharna Chowk near Indira Park today with a view to mobilizing public opinion on achieving good governance which has eluded them since the country attained Independence 65 years ago.

“Our movement is directed neither against political parties nor the Government.Our fast is not meant to garner sympathy or blackmail anybody,” said Dr. Jayaprakash Narayan, who is heading the deeksha as Convener of the Sursjya Movement. “It is meant to dispel despair, ignorance and innocence of people so that they can fight for what is legitimately due to them,” Dr. JP added.

Quoting Abraham Lincoln, Dr. JP said, “Public opinion is everything. With public opinion, nothing can fail; without it nothing can succeed.”

Congress, TDP, CPI, CPI(M), TRS leaders who took part in the meeting expressed their solidarity with the Surajya Movement.

The Surajya Movement demands the institution of a strong, independent Lokayukta at the State level to combat corruption, enactment of citizen’s charters to provide basic services as their right, devolution of 10 percent of the State budget to village panchayats and municipal wards and extension of quality healthcare and education to all irrespective of the accident of their birth in a certain caste or community.

Dr. JP said the Surajya Movement demands can be conceded straightway since they are non-controversial. The Government, however, concedes them only when enlightened people fight for them. Dr. JP said that in the next phase the Steering Committee will train up to one lakh youth to carry the Surajya Movement to every nook and corner.

Mr. Kaki Madhava Rao, former Chief Secretary and State Election Commissioner, said that good governance can be achieved if citizens take the initiative, instead of leaving the job to leaders. He instanced how people’s movements have dethroned despotic regimes in West Asia in the recent past. Initiatives of a few concerned citizens like Dr. JP have resulted in the passage of the Right to Information Act and election law amendments enabling voters to know the antecedents of candidates in the fray.

Mr. Madhava Rao recalled that on one of his visits to his native place as Chief Secretary, the villagers asked him what the Chief Minister was doing to curb corruption by pointing out that the village munsif collected Rs.300 for issuing a caste/income certificate. He told them that if 3000 people in the village could not confront the village munsiff, how they could expect the Chief Minister to tackle corruption in 30,000 villages in the State. Chief Ministers, he said, put in cold storage files recommending action against the corrupt when legislators or ministers exert pressure in sheer self-interest.

There is no reason to lose hope, Mr. Madhava Rao said, recalling that Georgia had become one of the least corrupt countries in the world in just seven years following a peaceful revolt by people. A clap on the mountain top can unleash an avalanche, he said underlining the need for people’s initiative.

Ninety-year-old freedom fighter and veteran politician Chennamaneni Rajeswara Rao regretted that the dreams of Mahatma Gandhi and other freedom fighters for Surajya have eluded people even 65 years after independence. He called for a massive movement transcending all political parties for good governance.

Thousands of people from all walks of life, especially youth and college students visited the venue of Janachaitanya Deeksha to extend support for the movement. An attractive exhibition on Surajya full of cartoons has become a key attraction.

Mr. Eetela Rajender of TRS, Dr. Lakshman of BJP, Prof. Nageshwar, MLC, Mr. P. Madhu of CPI(M) and Mr. Ramakrishna of CPI were among those who extended their support to the movement.

The following joined Dr. JP in observing fast on the fast day: Karthik Chandra, Shyam Sunder Reddy, D.Somasundar (President, APUWJ), Bhaswant, N. Karthik, E. Vamsi, Elizabeth Seshadri (Tamilnadu), K. Anjaneyulu, Praveen (Tamilnadu), S. Raghavulu, Mrs. Annapurna, T. L. Narasimha Rao, ARK Chowdary, Muralidhar and Uppu Sudhakar.

Poet and singer Vangapandu Prasada Rao, noted writer and singer Nisar and their teams rendered Surajya songs.

Wednesday, December 5, 2012 - 19:06

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