Press Releases Archive

Lok Satta Party President Dr. Jayaprakash Narayan is attending a regional workshop on ‘Democracy in the Commonwealth’ in Kuala Lumpur on July 15 and 16.

Electoral Reform International Services (ERIS) and the Commonwealth Policy Studies Unit are organizing the workshop as part of a study on 'the state of democracy in the Commonwealth'.

The study is meant to identify the most important obstacles to the improvement of democratic arrangements and evaluate the effectiveness of collective Commonwealth efforts to promote and deepen democracy and make recommendations in both areas.

The study will be undertaken by three consultants, drawn from Europe, Africa and Asia respectively: Chairperson of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan Ms. Asma Jahangir, the Chairman of the Ghana Election Commission Dr. Kwadwo Afari-Gyan and democracy expert and lead writer Mr. Tim Sheehy. The experts' report will be published prior to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in November 2009.

The regional workshop for the Asia and Pacific regions will be attended by two of the three experts and, eight leaders from Malaysia and 14 from the rest of Asia and the Pacific.

The Lok Satta Party does not believe in entering into alliances with the sole objective of capturing power, its President Dr. Jayaprakash Narayan declared here today.

“There is little that anybody could do by simply coming into power without a proper agenda and political culture.”

Addressing party workers after declaring open the office of the Greater Hyderabad unit of the party in Punjagutta, Dr. JP said that while traditional parties focused their entire attention on grabbing power, the Lok Satta focused its attention only on the agenda. The Lok Satta had come into existence to cleanse the rotten political system and emerged as a ray of hop to lakhs of people. “If power is its sole ambition, there is no need for the party’s existence.”

Dr. JP made it clear the party would go ahead with pursuing its agenda without bothering about alliances. “The task before the party is to convert people’s good will for it into votes. There has already been a perceptible change in people’s stand towards the party but it takes time for it to become prominent. Beginning with a victory in the GHMC elections, the party will spread new politics to the entire State.”

Dr. JP also debunked the myth propagated for more than six decades that a real change in the political system emanates in rural areas and spreads to urban areas. On the contrary, the urban areas are the drivers of change as the freedom demonstrated. Leaders belonging to the middle class like Gopalakrishna Gokhale, Subhashchandra Bose, Vallabhbhai Patel, Jawaharlal Nehru, Rajaji and Prakasam Pantulu launched their struggles in urban areas and spread them to rural areas. “The time is now ripe for launching the movement for change from urban areas.”

Although the GHMC spent Rs.10 crore a day of public money, said Dr. JP, people had to reckon with poor sanitation, unsafe drinking water, pot-filled roads and creaky transport. “Places meant for public use have been encroached upon with impunity. The day is not far off when even roads will be occupied. A solution to these problems lies only in devolution of powers and resources on people. The Lok Satta is committed to granting Rs.2 crore on each division so that elected people’s committees could utilize the funds to address pressing problems.”

The Lok Satta had facilitated ordinary youth to take part in elections, in the place of leaders’ children. “We are not concerned with your caste or religion. If you have leadership qualities and burn with a desire to transform the country, make the Lok Satta your platform and contest the GHMC elections.”

Replying to a question, Dr. JP said the Chief Minister might not be violating any law by going on a spree of launching developmental activities in the city but people would not trust him because he had neglected the city and denied it even an elected body till now. Some workers belonging to the Congress and the BJP joined the party today.

Among those who took part in the function were Greater Hyderabad Lok Satta Party President Nandipeta Ravinder, Mahila Satta leader Padmaja Rani, Uppal constituency in-charge Jaswant Reddy and official spokesman Katari Srinivasa Rao.