Press Releases Archive

Traditional parties allowed Telangana issue to fester- Dr. JP

Lok Satta Party President Dr. Jayaprakash Narayan today squarely blamed the traditional parties for the violence raging in the name of Telanagana today. They had allowed the issue of regional imbalances to fester for four decades without making any sincere and honest attempt to address it.

Addressing the media, Dr. JP recalled that the Telangana issue had come to the fore once again for the last seven years. Yet, both the TDP and Congress Governments in the State and the NDA and the UPA Governments at the Center had not made any attempt to resolve the regional imbalances issue.

Dr. JP expressed regret that the traditional parties sought to exploit regional feelings for vote bank politics or to prove their existence by resorting to vandalism. Had they been interested in addressing the issue of regional imbalances, they would have constituted the State Planning Board as part of the Six-Point Plan and sincerely implemented G. O. No. 610.

He demanded that all parties try to resolve the Telangana issue once and for all, instead of viewing it as a law and order problem. He wanted the State Government to immediately initiate talks with the Telangana agitators and the Government of India to announce a development package for Telangana and other backward regions in the State.

Dr. JP appealed to the TRS to carry on its agitation in accordance with the Constitution, without resorting to violence. “Let us all fight together to end regional disparities”, Dr. JP said.

Replying to a question on the propriety of the Government arresting TRS President K. Chandrasekhara Rao who planned to go on a fast unto death, Dr. JP said the Government would attract flak whatever it did after allowing the situation to come to such a pass. He recalled that failure to prevent kar sevaks from congregating at the Babri Masjid led to the chain of events that resulted in the destruction of the mosque and subsequent communal riots.

Mr. V. Laxman Balaji, Mrs. K. Geetha Murthy and Mr. E. Chennayya shared the dais with Dr. JP.

Monday, November 30, 2009 - 18:27

Lok Satta debating ways of saving People from manipulation

The three-year-old Lok Satta Party is now deeply immersed in finding out how people should be involved in transformational politics.

The Lok Satta Party came into existence three years ago with a view to cleansing the political system which has failed to eliminate poverty, destitution and ill health and make people stand on their own legs. Over the years, politics has been turned into a lucrative business by certain dynastic families or individuals. They succeed in wooing voters with money and liquor or other inducements, come into power only to abuse it for personal gain.

Although large sections of people are aware that the present-day politics are rotten, they do not come forward to transform the system, going by Lok Satta experience. Viewing the elections as a fight among certain parties or politicians, the voters by and large remain indifferent or play only a peripheral role of casting their vote on the polling day.

What is tragic is that people do not realize that they are the main players in the democratic process and not parties and politicians. Instead of playing the central role since they are the prime agents of change, they become pawns in the hands of traditional parties either wittingly or unwittingly.

Pointing out that unless people take matters into their hand and choose to act, the status quo can never be changed, the Lok Satta leaders Mr.YD Rama Rao, V.Laxman Balaji, Panduranga Rao, Mrs. Saroja Devi told media today. They recalled what Abraham Lincoln said more than a century ago, “Public opinion or sentiment is everything. With public sentiment, nothing can fail. Without it, nothing can succeed.”

The Lok Satta leaders point out that perhaps people by and large are vulnerable to manipulation because of their innocence and gullibility since times immemorial. Otherwise, would Jesus Christ have been crucified? When Jesus was arrested and threatened with execution for blasphemy, his captors led by Pontius Pilate, the Roman Governor, offered to spare him if enough people called for his release. On that day, Jesus and another prisoner, Barrabas, were due to be killed. Pilate’s wife asked him to spare Jesus, who was innocent. But the religious elders and priests, who hated Jesus because he undermined their authority, persuaded the mass of people to call for Barrabas to be spared instead. When the crowd was asked what should be done with Jesus, they shouted, “Crucify him.” Pilate believed the execution of Jesus was wrong. Since it was the will of the people, he publicly washed his hands to show that he took no responsibility.

Again, there are people of talent, integrity and competence in all walks of life who thirst for dramatic changes in the political system. But they remain dreamers on the sidelines, since they are not inclined to take any responsibility to change the system by devoting a portion of their time, energy and resources.

The Lok Satta leaders say they are not disheartened by the poor performance in the GHMC elections since victory in an election is merely a means to transform politics and not en end in itself.

The Lok Satta even to this day subscribes to the philosophy that the country can be rid of poverty, destitution and ill health only if new politics are ushered in and people are empowered. The Lok Satta has never nurtured the illusion that it alone can transform politics. It, therefore, is now debating how best it can associate common people and the elite on the sidelines with its mission.

Saturday, November 28, 2009 - 22:13

Lok Satta demands bidding for Telecom licenses

The Lok Satta Party today welcomed the Delhi High Court judgment declaring the allocation of 2G licenses as illegal arbitrary and said the Government of India should seize the opportunity to cancel all the licenses already issued and issue fresh licenses on the basis of international competitive bidding.

The Telecom Department had initially invited applications for allocation of licenses and spectrum up to October 1, 2007. But on January 10, 2008 it declared that applications received up to September 25 would be eligible for licenses. The advancement of the date benefited eight companies. Of them, two companies – Unitech Wireless and Swan Telecom – who were awarded licenses sold them at huge valuations.

The arbitrary advancement of date left the applications of 16 companies, including that of AT&T of the U. S. in limbo. One of the aggrieved companies approached the Delhi High Court. A Division Bench of the Delhi High Court has now upheld the judgment delivered by a single judge earlier.

Talking to the media, party spokespersons Mr.YD Rama Rao, V.Laxman Balaji, Panduranga Rao, Mrs. Saroja Devi recalled that the Government of India had already instituted a CBI inquiry into the allocation of 2G licenses following charges that the Government been defrauded of huge revenue because of arbitrary allocation.

“Whether it is grant of the telecom spectrum or leases for natural resources like iron ore, bauxite and coal, only international competitive bidding will eliminate scope for favoritism and corruption and ensure that the exchequer does not suffer avoidable revenue loss. The first-come-first-served policy lends itself to be grossly abused.”

The Lok Satta President, Dr. Jayaprakash Narayan, will be shortly writing to the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition, and floor leaders of all parties in both Houses of Parliament seeking the formulation of a comprehensive policy on grant of licenses for telecom spectrum or mining of natural resources so that the scope of private gain and windfall profits is eliminated and the Governments both at the Center and in States do not suffer any revenue losses.

Saturday, November 28, 2009 - 22:12

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