Press Releases Archive

GHMC succumbed to blackmail, Charges Lok Satta

The Lok Satta Party today termed the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation succumbing to religious pressure in agreeing to reconstruct a demolished temple obstructing traffic at Kothi here as a disgrace.

Lok Satta Party’s Working Committee members Laxman Balaji and N. Ravinder told the media that while the Constitution guarantees every one the right to worship the God of his or her choice, it does not permit construction of places of worship in the midst of roads and obstructing traffic much to the inconvenience of all road users. “No scripture says that the best place for worshipping God is in the midst of a road”, they said and added it was an insult to God and the to the faith people adhere to.

The Lok Satta said that the Government was duty bound to remove all such encroachments irrespective the religion to which they belong.

By agreeing to reconstruct the temple and suspending officials for undertaking the demolition, the authorities succumbed to religious blackmail, said the leaders. They also condemned the Sangh Pariwar for resorting to violence and obstructing officials from discharging their duty.

They accused the Government of interfering in religion by subsidizing Muslims’ travel to Haj initially and now Christians’ for places associated with Jesus Christ to serve their narrow vote bank politics. “One need not be surprised if a future Government subsidizes travel to Hindu places of worship like Kasi and Tirupati.”

The Lok Satta recalled that the Mulayam Singh Government had to withdraw its order declaring Friday a weekly holiday in its bid to placate Muslims when Muslims said they were interested in education, health care and job skills and opportunities and not a Friday holiday.

Sunday, December 14, 2008 - 14:25

Lok Satta demands capital punishment

The Lok Satta Party today demanded that the law be amended to facilitate award of capital punishment to perpetrators of crimes like rape and disfigurement of women with acid attacks. The police should be made independent and the courts made to give out their verdicts in a specified period.

“But under no circumstances police should be allowed to take law into their own hands and render instant justice,” said the Lok Satta Party.

Party spokesmen B. Krishna Reddy and Katari Srinivasa Rao told the media that the Lok Satta Party fully empathized with the parents of the Warangal girl students who fell victims of an acid attack. Perpetrators of such crimes deserve no sympathy and the harshest punishment should be meted out to them.

“But in our agony and anguish we should not condone the police killing criminals since they might kill innocents on another day at the instance of those in power or the moneyed since we live in a society which subscribes to the ‘might is right’ theory.”

The Lok Satta leaders said there had been instances of the kin of politicians in Andhra Pradesh getting away with murder while the son of a Minister in Goa accused of rape was allowed to go scot-free. Unless the police were liberated from politicians, justice would continue get derailed.

Sunday, December 14, 2008 - 14:20

Strive for political solution on Babli issue : Lok Satta

The Lok Satta Party today suggested that the Andhra Pradesh Government and political parties should strive for a political solution to the Babli project dispute between Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra.

Lok Satta Party spokesperson S.Manorama and State working Committee member S.Geeta Murthy told the media that a political solution was possible because the Congress was in power in both Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra and it led the UPA Government at the national level.

They pointed out that precious time would be lost if the matter was to be resolved by constitutional organs and recalled that the Bacchawat tribunal, appointed in 1969 for sharing of river waters announced its award only in 1980. Even then it merely sanctified an agreement reached among States.

The Lok Satta Party cautioned political parties against exploiting the issue for partisan considerations and inciting the public of one State against another.

Wednesday, December 10, 2008 - 22:24

Field women in 33% seats - Demands Mahila Satta

The Mahila Satta today demanded that all parties allocate 33 percent of tickets to women in the forthcoming elections to the Assembly and the Lok Satta, without waiting for the passage of a bill to that effect in Parliament.

Mahila Satta Secretary D.Saroja welcomed the election of a large number of women to five Assemblies in the just concluded elections. She was glad the participation of women in polling too was heavy.

She pointed out that the Lok Satta Party had already reserved one-third of positions to women at all levels and committed itself to fielding women in 33 percent of seats in the 2009 elections. All parties should utilize the upcoming elections for women empowerment by emulating the Lok Satta Party, she said.

Wednesday, December 10, 2008 - 22:23

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