Press Releases Archive

Secularism does not lie in sops to Muslims: Dr. JP

Secularism does not mean doling out of subsidies and making reservations to minorities in elections or educational institutions or jobs, Lok Satta President Dr. Jayaprakash Narayan said here today.

Addressing some 500 Muslims, who had come in a procession from Jubilee Hills to the party headquarters and joined the party, Dr. JP said secularism meant providing equal opportunities for all irrespective of their religion or caste.

Pointing out that 80 percent of patients who throng Government hospitals in places like Hyderabad happen to be Muslims, Dr. JP said that attempts should be made to guarantee them quality health care and education, job-oriented skills and livelihood security. Dr. JP said he was happy that a large number of Muslims had chosen to join the Lok Satta Party in the belief that there could be no improvement in their lives until there was total political transformation.

Mr. Mohammed Ishaq Khan, who led the rally of Muslims, said it was their conviction that Lok Satta policies would contribute to Muslims’ development that made them take active membership in the party. Among those who took part in the meeting were Mr. Mohd. Abdul Khadir, Mr. Mohd. Mujibuddin Shakir, Lok Satta Party Secretary Vijayender Reddy, Lok Satta candidates Mrs. Pratibha Rao and Mrs. Subhashini contesting from the Jubilee Hills and Khairatabad constituencies respectively to the Assembly.

Sunday, February 22, 2009 - 18:00

Traditional parties hypocritical On social justice: Dr. JP

Lok Satta Party President Dr. Jayaprakash Narayan today accused the traditional parties of chanting the social justice mantra to corner votes in the ensuing elections and not to render justice to the downtrodden sections.

Traditional party Governments have deliberately chosen not to transfer powers, resources and personnel to local self-governments simply because the downtrodden and women have a say in their functioning thanks to reservations, Dr. JP told a conference on social justice. Had they been social justice votaries, they would have devolved powers on local bodies.

Representatives of SCs, STs, BCs, minorities and women from various districts attended the conference held at the Lok Satta Party headquarters. Messrs Syed Jahanuddin, Akurati Muralikrishna, Jupally Satyanarayana, Vijay Singh, J. Irammurthy, Satish Gowd and Gajanani were among the leaders who took part in the conference.

The Lok Satta President pointed out that there could be no social justice so long as parties remained private properties of certain families, which have mastered the art of catalyzing politics into business. The dynastic political enterprises would not allow power to slip from their fingers by enabling the disadvantaged to have a say in the functioning of parties or governments. That’s why these parties have ceased to function democratically.

The political enterprises make social justice impossible also by indulging in corruption and siphoning of the scarce resources to enrich themselves at the cost of the deserving downtrodden. They also deny social justice by centralizing power in their hands as decentralization might give a say to weaker sections and come in the way of corruption.

In this connection, Dr. JP referred to the Switzerland Government’s decision to relax bank secrecy provisions and allow access to American tax evaders’ secret bank accounts to the U. S. Government. Reports say that Indians had secreted as much as US $70 billion in Swiss banks, but politicians as a class have chosen not to pursue the black money trail.

Dr. JP pointed out that the political enterprises have developed a vested interest in perpetuating poverty since they will have a ready reservoir of poor people who can be hired as political workers or serve as vote banks.

Dr. JP said Governments fiddling with categories of backward classes or shifting some to the ST list did not amount to social justice. He recalled that the architects of the Constitution envisaged a society in which every one enjoyed equal rights. But because of rotten politics, the weaker sections had been deprived of their rights. The Constitution did provide reservations for certain sections for a definite period but politicians see virtue in continuing them forever so that they can set can set one caste against another and reap political advantage.

“Real social justice could be ensured only when every one has access to quality education, health care, employment opportunities and social security. That is possible only when the political system is cleansed thoroughly. Kerala is a standing example to the role education plays in uplifting any community. If Ezhavas, one of the most backward communities once, have developed, they owe it to Narayan Guru, who promoted education among them. The present Kerala Chief Minister belongs to that community.

Dr. JP said that internal democracy in parties and proportional representation to all castes and classes, genuine decentralization of power and an agenda that helps people stand on their own feet alone would ensure social justice.

Saturday, February 21, 2009 - 16:33

Lok Satta is a non-violent Naxalite party: Dr. JP

“Ours is a non-violent Naxalite party wedded to ushering in a society that does not discriminate anybody on the basis of religion or caste, region or language or economic status”, declared Lok Satta Party President Dr. Jayaprakash Narayan here today.

Releasing the party’s second list of 20 candidates contesting the ensuing elections to the Legislative Assembly, Dr. JP disclosed that Mr. Sudhakar Babu contesting from Rampachodavaram in East Godavari district is former extremist who had wielded arms earlier. He had joined the Lok Satta Party and come forward to contest believing in the party philosophy that a ballot is much more lethal than a bullet in changing the course of politics and history.

Pointing out that 13 of the 20 candidates named today belong to SC, ST, and BC communities, Dr. JP said that the Lok Satta Party is the only one that is committed to ensuring social justice. Social justice did not lie in fielding corrupt, crooked and criminal politicians or their kin belonging to weaker sections. Social justice means ensuring equal education, health care and employment opportunities and social security to all without any discrimination on grounds of religion, caste, region or language or their social and economic status. It means enabling citizens to stand on their own feet and not making them mendicants. It implies treating every one as equal before law and it warrants proportional representation to SCs, STs, minorities and women who have been denied justice for centuries.

“Ten of the 20candidates are young people, and they have not been chosen for their pedigree or family. The Lok Satta alone provides space and opportunity to young people sans political dynasties.”

Dr. JP expressed satisfaction over the representation the party has given to weaker sections on International Day for Social Justice today. “We strive to practice what we preach today, unlike other parties”, he added.

Dr. JP said there are innumerable people in society known for their integrity, competence and leadership and who detest the present day politics ridden with corruption and family rule. It is time they plunged into politics instead of sitting on the fence. Silence of good people is much more dangerous than misdeeds of bad people when the future of our children hinges on the nature of politics. Asking them to avail of the platform provided by the Lok Satta, Dr. JP said: “We don’t you ask to which caste or religion you belong so long as you have leadership qualities and integrity and are committed to changing politics.”

Dr, JP said the stakes in the coming elections are high. “The incoming Government will be spending about Rs.7 lakh crore in the next five years. If we assume that three crore voters will exercise their franchise, the Government expenditure on each voter works out to Rs.2,30,000. Should the voter then sell his precious vote for a paltry Rs.500 or Rs. 1000 or a bottle of liquor?”

In response to a question, Dr. JP said that a large number of traditional party leaders had indeed made tons of money, some shrewdly and silently and some others openly and crudely, some centralizing the operation and some others decentralizing it. “The difference between leaders of different parties is one of degree but not of kind. It is true there are leaders of impeccable integrity among all traditional parties who themselves are grieved over the present day corrupt culture.”

Dr. JP called for an effective institutional mechanism to fight corruption, since trivializing it with exchange of personal allegations would lead people nowhere. He suggested constitution of special courts to go into allegations of corruption against people in public office and confiscation of properties of the guilty; formation of transparent and accountable district governments with citizen’s charters and attendant penalties and a commitment by all political parties not to induce voters with money and liquor.

Dr. JP recalled that Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee was so distressed about the current day politicians that he wanted all of them to be defeated in the coming elections as their conduct in the House was shameful.

The coming election provides a historic opportunity to all who would like to see a new dawn in their and their children’s lives, Dr. JP added. “The election in 2009 is a fight between traditional parties and private enterprise, which treat politics as commerce and private enterprise, and the people whose future is at stake. In this struggle, the Lok Satta is fighting on behalf of the people against forces of corruption and status quoism. Now is the time for people to shed despair and come out and be counted.”

The following is the second list of candidates released by the Lok Satta Party today:

S.No Name Constituency District
1 Malayadri.G Tirupathi Chittoor
2 K.V.Satya Prasad Kakinada Urban East Godavari
3 Sudhakara Babu Rampa Chodavaram East Godawari
4 Jashwant Reddy Uppal GHMC
5 Chintaboina Vinod Amberpet GHMC
6 Solkar Reddy Rajendra Nagar GHMC
7 B.Uma Maheshwar Reddy Tenali Guntur
8 V.A.Krishna Iyengar Gurajala Guntur
9 M.V.Nageswara Rao Machilipatnam Krishna
10 Raja Ramakrishna Varma Jaggaiahpeta Krishna
11 Venkatesh K.G. Aadhoni Kurnool
12 Suryanarayana.B Emmiganuru Kurnool
13 Anjaneyulu.C Mantralayam Kurnool
14 Murali Srinivas Gadwal Mahaboobnagar
15 G. Venkata Ramana Reddy Nalgonda Nalgonda
16 Pratap Sivaratri Kamareddy Nizamabad
17 Manikyamba Araku Visakhapatnam
18 Balanna Dora Paderu Visakhapatnam
19 Jhansi Ravala Visakha (E) Visakhapatnam
20 Bhagavathi Rao Jerripothula Visakha (S) Visakhapatnam
Friday, February 20, 2009 - 18:20

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