Press Releases Archive
NRIs' tele-campaign for Lok Satta
Lok Satta supporters in the U. S. are making 1200 calls a day to their friends and relatives in Andhra Pradesh asking them to vote for the Lok Satta Party in the ensuing elections. Their message is that while traditional parties are trying to influence voters by dangling short-term sops, only the Lok Satta is offering policies and programs that promise a bright future for them and their children.
Disclosing this here today, party spokesmen P. Ravi Maruth and V. Vijayender Reddy told the media that in their response to NRIs, even ordinary people tell them they will show the door to people trying to garner votes with the offer of money and liquor.
The spokesmen said that NRIs in Canada, Australia and New Zealand too are carrying on the tele-campaign in Lok Satta’s favor. The NRIs are also using the Internet for their campaign.
Among the NRIs orchestrating the campaign are Mr. Srinivas Ranabothu and Mr, Prasad Gattu.
The party spokesmen condemned the attack on Siasat Editor Zahid Ali Khan, contesting for the Hyderabad Lok Sabha seat, saying that violence has no place in a democracy.
Lok Satta contestants all over the State will be taking an oath tomorrow on the policies they will be adhering to. Candidates in and around Hyderabad will be gathering at the party headquarters to take the oath.
Lok Satta Party will produce Dramatic results: Dr. JP
The Lok Satta Party will remain “alive, thriving and kicking” long after the elections are over, irrespective of its performance in the short term, said party President Dr. Jayaprakash Narayan here today. “But the Lok Satta will surprise everybody by producing dramatic results.”
Taking part in a ‘Meet the Press’ program organized by the Andhra Pradesh Union of Working Journalists, Dr. JP said Lok Satta’s political opponents as also the media had contributed to its growth. He pointed out that the traditional parties by relentlessly exposing each other’s corruption have succeeded in promoting revulsion against current day politics in common people. Paradoxically, sections of the media too have contributed to Lok Satta’s growth by downplaying Lok Satta’s impact and triggering a “word of mouth” campaign in party’s favor.
Dr. JP described the response among the public to the party as tremendous. The Lok Satta, he said, has emerged as the voice of the voiceless and as a platform for constitutional revolt against the present, corrupt political system. But the party does not have the organizational structure to convert the tremendous good will in enjoyed into votes. He would, therefore, appeal to the youth to come forward and take up responsibilities as booth and polling agents.
Replying to a question on social justice, Dr. JP said that it entailed creating equal opportunities for growth to every child, equal treatment of all in matters of law and justice and proportional representation. Social justice did not mean granting party tickets to those who could afford Rs.5 crore. Pointing out that some other parties too were mouthing Lok Satta slogans like ‘silent revolution’ and ‘change’. Dr. JP explained that real change comes about not by changing the players but in changing the rules of the game.
The Lok Satta, he revealed, has allotted the party ticket to 88 BCs, 28 women and 11 minorities. The party is fielding 12 SCs and STs in general constituencies.
Replying to a question on the party’s stand on the Telangana issue, Dr. JP asked whether the demand for a separate State was an end or a means. The Constitution did provide for the carving out of States as also their merger. A mere change of capital without a change in the political setup would not bring about any change in people’s lives. The Lok Satta proposed to form district governments to empower people.
Dr. JP said “the Lok Satta is committed to eradicating poverty in five years since we have the requisite resources and technology. Sixty-two years after the country attained Independence, 80 crore people are living on a per capita of income of Rs.20 a day. In other words, they live on Rs.600,000 crore a year. In contrast, those who have looted the country have stashed away Rs.75 lakh crore of their black money in foreign banks.
Dr. JP said that poverty could be eradicated only with well conceived policies and not gimmicks. Provision of free quality education to every child up to the 12th class, free and quality universal health care, job skills and employment to youth, social security to every family and ensuring higher incomes to farmers and those engaged in traditional occupations alone would eradicate poverty. The Lok Satta agenda included formation of district governments with devolution of resources, powers and personnel and strict restriction of liquor consumption.
Asked whether he could guarantee that the Lok Satta would not degenerate like other parties after elections, he said the Lok Satta could be judged by its credentials. The credit for ushering in historic reforms in governance goes to the Lok Satta. The people can also judge the party by the way it is functioning now. Asked how many seats the party would win, he said it was for the people to decide. All along, the people had been defeating themselves by voting for traditional parties. Asked which party the Lok Satta Party would support in case the election results in a hung Assembly, he said the Lok Satta would support those who subscribed its manifesto containing 50 guarantees to the public.
Mr. D. Somasundar, President, Mr. Narender Reddy, Secretary, APUWJ, and Mr. D. Amar, Chairman, Press Academy spoke.
Election Commission concedes Lok Satta plea
The Election Commission of India today conceded the plea of the Lok Satta Party that candidates contesting elections should be entitled to appoint as polling agents in a polling station even those who are registered voters in neighboring wards/divisions (in urban areas) or neighboring revenue villages (in rural areas) of the same constituency.
The ECI was responding to a petition the Lok Satta filed in the High Court.
The ECI’s instructions currently mandate that a person appointed as an electoral candidate’s polling agent for a polling station should be a registered voter in the same polling station area.
Questioning the instructions, the Lok Satta pointed out that in many pockets, the local landlords, slum-lords or criminal elements evoke fear among voters, and victimize the polling agents of rival parties. Even polling personnel are intimidated or coerced into submission. As a result, there will be no fair polling. In particular, this requirement would prove impractical to smaller, newly-formed parties or independent candidates and heavily favors entrenched parties and candidates. In turn, it would prove to be counter- productive to the very intent behind the appointment of polling agents on behalf of the electoral candidates. This requirement runs against the ECI’s mandate of providing a level playing field to all electoral candidates – the foundation of free-and-fair elections.
A bright future is just a vote away: Dr. JP
The Lok Satta Party has become the darling of the masses following their revulsion against traditional parties, Lok Satta Party President Dr. Jayaprakash Narayan said here today.
Talking to the media on his return from a whistle-stop tour of North Coastal Andhra districts, Dr. JP said that people turned up in large numbers for his meetings because they believed that the Lok Satta alone represented them whereas the other parties have become properties of certain families. As he asked people not to part with their vote worth Rs.2,33,000 for paltry inducements, a poor young man at Tagarapuvalasa in Visakhapatnam district commented that traditional parties threw alms at voters even as they looted enormous amounts meant for them. “That the Lok Satta idiom has gained currency is evident from the young man’s remarks.”
Dr. JP revealed that people who had gathered to hear their favorite movie stars came running to listen to the Lok Satta message. The upsurge among the youth, middle classes, women, daily wage workers, families affected by liquor, employees, senior citizens and retired employees for the Lok Satta is clearly evident everywhere. However, in certain pockets the party did not have a strong organizational structure. He appealed to the youth to volunteer themselves as Lok Satta booth workers and polling agents.
Dr, JP rubbished the insidious propaganda that a vote to the Lok Satta would go waste. “A vote to traditional parties which have become the dens for goondas, land grabbers and political business entrepreneurs would be a wasted vote and not if the vote is cast to a party committed to implementing a well-laid out program for people’s empowerment and development.
“The Lok Satta Party is lending its voice to the voiceless majority and giving expression to the feelings of all citizens. A vote for the Lok Satta gains value and gives the voter dignity and self-respect. Traditional parties are fighting like wolves to grab power. The innocent voter lambs should focus their attention on ending the wolves’ raj and not on choosing one among the wolves. A bright future is just a vote away.”
Dr. JP. Referring to comments from certain sections that the Lok Satta is in a hurry to change the nature of politics when the society is not prepared, Dr. JP said such an attitude amounted to criminal negligence of people’s problems. “The delay in changing the nature of politics even by a day will harm more and more people. Go and tell the mothers that are concerned about their children’s future to wait for another decade before they are provided good education, health care, job skills and employment.”
Dr. JP disclosed that the Lok Satta Party has so far spent only Rs.1.5 crore on campaign over television channels. The party is spending its meager resources on legitimate campaigning and not on luring voters with liquor and money. “For every Rs.1000 crore traditional parties spend, we spend only Rs. one crore.