Press Releases Archive

Lok Satta policies vindicated: Dr. JP

The economic and political crises rocking the State for the last few months have merely vindicated Lok Satta Party’s policies and the values it has consistently stood for, said party President Dr. Jayaprakash Narayan here today. It is time the party became stronger on the foundations of its credibility.

Addressing the party’s State Working Committee, Dr. JP said that thanks to the crises, youth, farmers, middle classes and women have been turning to the Lok Satta to provide them leadership. The Lok Satta should turn the excellent opportunity that opened up to strengthen itself. Mere admiration for the party would not get converted into vote, Dr. JP cautioned and underlined the need to strengthen the party systematically by taking up programs on problems bedeviling people.

Mr. D. V. V. S. Varma, Working President, conducted the proceedings of the Working committee.

Dr. JP said that whether the State remained united or divided, the Lok Satta agenda with its focus on provision of education, health care, livelihood opportunities and empowerment of local governments would continue to be important. The party should focus on bettering the lot of farmers, ensuring the future of youth, eradicating corruption, mitigating the liquor evil and promoting rule of law.

Dr. JP said that pitting development against people is unwarranted. Whatever development is undertaken it should be in tune with people’s interests. For instance a fight against an unwarranted power project does not mean the party is opposed to power projects per se.

Dr. JP said that the party should continue its program to train at least 50,000 youth and farmers as leaders. He called for a vigorous membership enrolment drive. The party will not register anticipated results if party leaders and activists worked part time. They should work with passion and a determination to succeed.

The Working Committee condoled with the death of Upadhyaya Satta General Secretary M. Sattibabu and BJP women’s leader Vanam Jhansi.

Saturday, March 5, 2011 - 21:10

Lok Satta Times - Jan 16th - March 15th 2011

Lok Satta times from Jan 16th to March 15th can be downloaded from the following links

Lok Satta Times - Jan 16th - 31st 2011
http://www.loksatta.org/cms/documents/lstimes/lstimes-2011-01-16-31.pdf

Lok Satta Times - Feb 1st - 15th 2011
http://www.loksatta.org/cms/documents/lstimes/lstimes-2011-02-01-15.pdf

Lok Satta Times - Feb 16th - 28th 2011
http://www.loksatta.org/cms/documents/lstimes/lstimes-2011-02-16-28.pdf

Lok Satta Times - March 1st - 15th 2011
http://www.loksatta.org/cms/documents/lstimes/lstimes-2011-03-01-15.pdf

Friday, March 4, 2011 - 22:22

Dr.JP’s Letter to Hon’ble Governor of Andhra Pradesh

3rd March, 2011
Hyderabad

Hon’ble Rajyapal Shri ESL Narasimhan,
The Governor of Andhra Pradesh,
Raj Bhavan,
Hyderabad.

Esteemed Rajyapal Sri Narasimhan ji,

Sub: Filling of vacancies to the nominated seats AP Legislative Council – need to protect the dignity of the Council – appeal – reg.

As you are aware, vacancies to the nominated seats in the AP Legislative Council are due to be filled shortly.

These vacancies arise in the wider context established by the Supreme Court’s landmark judgment, delivered earlier today, addressing the critical issue of appointment of individuals to high offices. Even as this judgment is about the appointment of the Chief Vigilance Commissioner (CVC; in Centre for PIL vs. Union of India, WP(C) 255/2010), it rightly emphasizes the fundamental need to protect the integrity of Constitutional bodies, through nomination/appointment of candidates exhibiting the highest standards of expertise, integrity and suitability.

Article 171(5) specifies that the members of Legislative Council to be nominated by the Governor shall consist of persons having special knowledge or practical experience in areas of literature, science, art, cooperative movement and social service. Clearly, the nominations are intended to bring expertise, sobriety, wisdom and credibility to the Upper House, and to add substance and quality to the deliberations.

However, parties in power have often tended to use the nomination process as a mechanism to rehabilitate party members and leaders who could not be allocated Assembly seats or accommodated in other forums. Recently, major functionaries in the ruling party and the State Government have publicly and repeatedly stated their intent to nominate select individuals – based on almost entirely partisan political grounds, to the upcoming vacancies to the nominated seats of the AP Legislative Council. While past party affiliation cannot be a disqualification for nomination, party loyalties evaluated in the matrix of partisan political calculus cannot be the sole or substantive qualification either.

This treatment of Upper House nominations as the private affair of political parties is a travesty of the letter and spirit of the Constitution. Such an approach to nominated seats undermines the high office and Constitutional role of the Governor as Head of the State.

Lok Satta Party therefore urges you to play your Constitutional role and ensure that only experts with known credibility, integrity, special knowledge and practical expertise in literature, science, art, cooperative movement and social service are nominated to the Legislative Council. We are aware that ordinarily, you are bound by the advice of the Council of Ministers in nominating these members. Simultaneously, it is your Constitutional prerogative and duty to advise the Government suitably, and to insist on recommendation of names of worthy experts for such nominations.

With your long experience in public life and your oath of allegiance to the Constitution, we are sure you will uphold the highest democratic traditions in respect of the nomination of members to the Legislative Council, and enrich the quality of public discourse in the Upper House.

Sincerely,

Jayaprakash Narayan

(President, Lok Satta Party)

Thursday, March 3, 2011 - 20:47

Supreme Court verdict a slap in the Face of PM, Home Minister: Dr. JP

The Lok Satta Party today termed the Supreme Court judgment declaring the appointment of Mr. P. J. Thomas as Central Vigilance Commissioner as a slap in the face of the Prime Minister and the Home Minister.

Welcoming the historic verdict wholeheartedly, Lok Satta Party President Dr. Jayaprakash Narayan told a media conference the verdict also demonstrated how aberrations in democracy can be corrected peacefully and with dignity with the intervention of the judiciary. Dr. JP congratulated former Chief Election Commissioner J. M. Lyngodoh and the Center for Public Interest Litigation, the petitioners who challenged the appointment.

Party leaders Katari Srinivasa Rao, S. Manorama and K. Gita Murthy took part in the media conference.

Dr. JP recalled that the Lok Satta Party had opposed Mr. Thomas’ appointment because he as a top official in the Telecom Ministry had opposed a CBI inquiry into 2 G spectrum allocations – the biggest scam in India’s history -- with a view to preventing facts from coming to light. The Prime Minister and the Home Minister brushed aside objections raised by BJP leader, the third member in the appointments committee, and went ahead with appointing a person who opposed investigation in a mega scam to a body which is supposed to eradicate corruption.

Dr. JP accused the rulers of weakening, instead of strengthening the Central Vigilance Commission which Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri constituted within three months of the Santhanam Committee on corruption submitting its report. That appointments to key posts have come up for judicial scrutiny is another welcome development, said Dr. JP.

Dr. JP said that people who lose faith in governments, legislatures and political parties look to the judiciary and other constitutional mechanisms to render them justice. That is why the Lok Satta Party has been silently striving for the creation of a National Judicial Commission with powers to appoint persons of probity and integrity as judges without any political interference and to remove corrupt judges.

However, in the long run constitutional mechanisms cannot be a substitute for effective functioning of legislatures. Members of the legislatures should view them as supreme institutions for discussing subjects ranging from the demand for a Telangana State to the Krishna Water Dispute Tribunal Verdict.

Against the backdrop of the Supreme Court judgment in the appointment of the CVC, Dr. JP has written to Governor ESL Narasimhan suggesting that he nominate competent people irrespective of their party affiliation. (The Governor has to nominate four persons). As per the Constitution, only those known for their social service or for their proficiency in education, science and technology and literature should be nominated. The Council shall not be converted into a political rehabilitation center, he warned.

Replying to a question, he said that all agitations ultimately hurt people. For instance, the non-cooperation movement by Government employees hurts people looking for livelihood under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme. Movements against freedom of expression guaranteed by the Constitution are nothing but an assault on democracy, Dr. JP said.

Dr. JP hoped that the Union Government would cancel the 2g spectrum licenses without waiting for the Supreme Court in the case filed by the Lok Satta and others.

Thursday, March 3, 2011 - 19:12

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