Press Releases Archive

Delhi should stop dithering and resolve Telangana issue: Dr. JP

The Lok Satta Party today regretted that a section of the media has misquoted its President Dr. Jayaprakash Narayan’s remarks in response to a question at a media conference in Visakhapatnam on Thursday, July 7.

Setting the record straight, the party quoted Dr. JP as saying:

“Formation of a State is a matter of democratic, political arrangement in a federal polity, and not a matter of life and death. The Lok Satta Party has consistently maintained that formation of a Telangana State will be neither a catastrophe nor a panacea to people’s problems. Therefore, all sections of people must maintain calm and resolve the issue peacefully and amicably through dialogue.

“When passions are roused on both sides, responsible leaders should be restrained, and display a willingness to negotiate and arrive at a satisfactory solution. People in Andhra Pradesh and Telugu-speaking people in the country and all over the world have already paid a heavy price because of the delay in resolving the problem. The Government of India and major political parties are guilty of criminal negligence and reckless abandon in dealing with a sensitive issue affecting the lives of millions of people.

“The Government of India is constitutionally obliged to resolve the issue quickly and amicably keeping in mind national interests as also those of people in all the regions of the State.”

Friday, July 8, 2011 - 10:49

Lok Satta Launching Public Campaign on Lokpal

The Lok Satta Party has decided to launch a campaign from July 15 to 17 to mobilize public opinion for the creation of strong and independent anti corruption mechanisms at both the Central and State levels.

It will organize round table conferences and collect at least a million signatures seeking establishment of a Lokpal at the Center, Lokayuktas in States, and ombudsmen in districts.

The Lok Satta Party decided on this plan of action at a meeting of top leaders at the party headquarters here today. Lok Satta Party President Dr. Jayaprakash Narayan presided. Mr. D. V. V. S. Varma, Working President, and other State leaders took part in the meeting.

The Lokpal Bill rightly focuses on corruption at the top but ignores corruption at the State and district levels where its incidence is most. The Lok Satta Party therefore wants the Union Government to incorporate creation of Lokayutkas in States and ombudsmen in districts in the Lokpal Bill.

The party wants the Lok Pal to cover Chief Ministers. Vigilance Commissions at the Central and State levels shall be made ex-officio members of the Lokpal and Lokayutkas. The anti corruption wing of the Central Bureau of Investigation shall be brought under Lokpal’s purview and anti corruption bureaus in States under Lokayuktas’ purview.

Saturday, July 2, 2011 - 16:58

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