Press Releases Archive

Let's emulate Obama, says Lok Satta

On the eve of Barack Obama assuming office as U.S. President, the Lok Satta Party today called upon political parties and people to embrace change as their agenda in the 2009 elections. That is the real tribute we can pay to the man who has made history in contemporary politics, party Working Committee members Laxman Balaji and Mrs. K. Geeta Murthy told the media today.

The Lok Satta Party regretted that political parties indulged in mutual recrimination instead of educating the public about their agenda and earning their confidence. They would like to come to power by relying on dynastic principles or squandering money so that they could loot money meant for public welfare. It was time the State was liberated from such an evil political culture, said the leaders.

The Lok Satta refuted the Chief Minister’s contention that the Government had nothing to do with the Satyam fraud and it was not an election issue. Although the management was to shoulder blame for the fraud, the Government could not wish away the fact that it had allocated many projects to Satyam’s sister concern Maytas without thoroughly evaluating its credentials.

Monday, January 19, 2009 - 17:35

Lok Satta doors wide open to Weaker sections: Dr. JP

Lok Satta Party President Dr. Jayaprakash Narayan today appealed to downtrodden sections to plunge into the Lok Satta Party and take the reins of leadership to usher in a new political order.

“The Lok Satta firmly believes that democracy is not real and meaningful if it does not provide for representation to all sections and castes in elected offices. The leadership is not the monopoly of any caste or section. There are men and women of intelligence, competence and integrity among disadvantaged sections -- SCs, STs and BCs. But they simply cannot fight the elections at a time traditional parties are prepared to spend crores of rupees even in an MPTC or ZPTC election, not to mention elections to the Assembly or the Lok Sabha.”

“The new politics that the Lok Satta is promoting has three critical planks – opportunities to all without discrimination on grounds of caste, family and birth; clean and honest politics as a moral endeavor; and fair representation for all.”

Dr. JP said the Lok Satta is prepared to give opportunities to people with leadership qualities from among downtrodden sections to contest elections without looking into their caste or creed or family. “There is no ceiling on the number of candidates the Lok Satta is ready to field so long as they have the leadership mettle.”

Dr. JP was addressing a media conference on the occasion of some of the BC, SC and rationalist leaders joining the Lok Satta.

Dr. JP declared that the Lok Satta’s goal is eradication of caste as a determinant of a child’s future within 10 years. “The pernicious practice of marking a person by birth and subjecting him or her to discrimination and disadvantage must end today and now”, he said.

Dr. JP disclosed that the Lok Satta would take up a campaign for the introduction of proportional representation in place of the present ‘first-past-the-post” system once the 2009 elections are over so that all sections of people can have a say in politics.

Mr. Akurati Muralikrishna, State Convener, BC Forum, said that more than 100 of the 116 backward castes had never stepped into the Assembly portals for the last 60 years, although they account for 65 percent of the State’s population. “Parties chanting the social justice mantra have merely hijacked the portraits of Dr. Ambedkar and Phule but not his ideas. The traditional parties fielded either contractors or businessmen or criminals and rowdies as their candidates in elections while sane people kept off the polling booth out of despair over the state of political affairs. The depressed sections, wiser from their experience, have now come to the conclusion that a solution to their problems lay only in politics, as contended by Dr. Ambedkar. The Lok Satta is the only party that provided them the right platform for the poor by its commitment to build a society in which every one irrespective of one’s birth in a particular caste or religion enjoyed equal opportunities for growth.”

Mr. I. Rama Murthy said that a new breeze is blowing in Andhra Pradesh politics with the weaker sections ready to take on the traditional parties which have cheated them with their vote bank politics, by joining the Lok Satta Party. Mr. Vijaya Singh, Convener, Dalita Bahujana Maha Sabha, said people from weaker sections now have started realizing that the Lok Satta is committed to building an egalitarian society, and its agenda is not limited to fighting corruption..

The following leaders joined the Lok Satta Party today: Messrs

Akurati Muralikrishna, State Convener, BC Forum

Jupally Satyanarayana, State President, Rajaka Sangham

J. Harikrishna, State President, Suryavamsa Sankshema Seva Samiti

Teegala Parthasarathi Prasad, General Secretary, Surya Balija Sangham

Upendra, State Convener, B. C. Yuvajana Forum

Vijaya Singh, Convener, Dalita Bahujana Maha Sabha

Valluru Srinivasa Rao, Upasaka, Bouddha Mahasabha

Saturday, January 17, 2009 - 22:53

BC leaders to join Lok Satta

A large number of backward caste leaders and members are planning to join the Lok Satta Party in a day or two.

Disclosing this at a media conference, party spokesman Katari Srinivsa Rao and Working Committee member N. Ravinder said that having been fed with up traditional politics, these BC leaders now feel that the Lok Satta alone will render them justice.

The Lok Satta leaders pointed out that although there are many leaders of competence and integrity among BCs, they have not received due recognition in politics. Their failure to get adequate representation legislative bodies saps their confidence in democracy itself.

The Lok Satta, the leaders said, is committed to fielding BCs in election in proportion to their population provided adequate number of people with leadership qualities apply.

The Lok Satta Party believes that reservations for downtrodden sections should be continued for the time being even as the creamy layer from it should be excluded. The percentage of reservations should under no circumstances be increased, as per Supreme Court directives. At the same time, both the urban and rural poor should be awarded 10 percent bonus marks in competitive examinations so that they can compete on par with their richer counterparts both in higher education and employment. All students, irrespective of their caste and religion, should be provided quality and free education in the English medium and including computer studies up to Class XII. Then every one without reference to his or her caste or religion, will get opportunities for growth. Caste will lose relevance in one generation if the Lok Satta formula is adopted, said the leaders.

Friday, January 16, 2009 - 19:15

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