Press Releases Archive

Lok Satta Contesting in TN elections

The Lok Satta Party is fielding about 50 candidates in the elections to the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly scheduled for April 2011. The Lok Satta goes by the name of Makkal Sakti Katchi in Tamil Nadu.
Lok Satta Party President Dr. Jayaprakash Narayan left for Chennai today to meet party leaders and Assembly election contestants.

A number of voluntary organizations fighting against corruption and for electoral reforms have joined the Lok Satta Party with a view to ushering in new politics.

Mr. Narra Sridhar and Mr. Jeedigunta Venkateswarlu, Lok Satta Working Committee members, have been engaged in screening and finalizing the candidates and drawing the campaign strategy.

Saturday, March 26, 2011 - 16:03

Dandi March II rally against Corruption today

Dandi March II, launched by NRIs in the US, seeking constitution of a powerful and independent Lok Pal to eradicate corruption and recovery of black money stashed abroad by Indians, is concluding on March 26.

The NRIs, under the leadership of organizations like People for Lok Satta, began their 240-mile-long march from Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Park in San Diego, California, on March 12 to the Gandhi statue in San Francisco touching 35 towns en route.

Mahatma Gandhi’s historic Dandi March from Sabarmati Ashram against foreign rule inspired NRIs to emulate him in their fight against corruption in India now.

Transcending differences of caste and religion, region and language, NRIs in large numbers have responded to Lok Satta President Dr. Jayaprakash Narayan’s call and took part in the march or pledged support, said party spokesman Katari Srinivasa Rao in a media statement. Dainik Chattisgarh editor Sunil Kumar took part in the march in the U. S. while the Gandhian Satyagraha Brigade from Delhi expressed its solidarity.

On March 26, rallies in support of Dandi March II are taking place in 12 cities of the U. S and 22 places, including Hyderabad in Andhra Pradesh. Indians living in Dubai, the U. K., Germany, Switzerland, Singapore, and Malaysia are also planning solidarity rallies.

Friday, March 25, 2011 - 17:42

Empower Lokayukta to eradicate Corruption: Lok Satta

Even as it welcomed the proposed amendments to the Lokayukta Act to cover more and more people’s representatives and public sector employees, the Lok Satta Party said today that corruption could not be eradicated so long as the Lokayukta remained toothless.

Lok Satta Party Working President D. V. V. S. Varma recalled the Second Administrative Reforms Commission’s observation that failure to tackle corruption at the top level led to its becoming rampant. So, mere extension of the Lokayukta’s jurisdiction to more and more people would not solve the problem. Moreover, the Lokayukta in Andhra Ptradesh, unlike its counterpart in Karnataka, does not have powers to raid the corrupt and take action.

Mr. Varma said the Lokayukta should be strengthened with enough powers, resources and personnel. The Anti Corruption Bureau and the Vigilance Department should be brought under the control of the Lokayukta.

Mr. Varma also demanded that the Prevention of Corruption Act be amended on the lines of the draft Bill proposed by Lok Satta Party President Dr. Jayaprakash Narayan in 2009.

The Bill envisages bringing of all elected people’s representatives like MLAs under the purview of the Anti Corruption Bureau, constitution of special courts in all districts to pursue corruption cases, attachment of properties of the guilty, and bringing in all anti corruption institutions like the ACB, Vigilance Department and administrative tribunals under the purview of the Lokayukta.

Mr. Varma appealed to all parties fulminating against corruption to transcend their political differences and join hands in getting the Prevention of Corruption Act amended.

Wednesday, March 23, 2011 - 17:41

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