Lok Satta rubbishes critics

The Lok Satta Party today took strong exception to certain politicians and media analysts blaming the Lok Satta for the failure or success of certain parties in the 2009 elections. “The charge that the Lok Satta Party cut into the votes of one party or the other betrays the critics’ presumption that they own certain vote banks. It is nothing but an affront to the voters’ intelligence and wisdom.”

Talking to the media, party spokesmen Mrs. S. Manorama and Mrs. K. Geeta Murthy said that the Lok Sattta Party had been formed specifically to usher in new politics, and not to pull down one party and enthrone the other and perpetuate traditional politics. Certain families and individuals over the years had converted politics into a lucrative business enterprise to serve their personal interests at the cost of citizens. “The citizens around whom politics should revolve in a democracy have been turned into supplicants.”

The spokesmen pointed out that the Lok Satta had contested the elections with a clear-cut and practicable agenda. Although it enjoyed tremendous good will, the Lok Satta failed to convert it into votes for reasons ranging from absence of competent leaders and inadequate resources to the malicious propaganda that a vote to the Lok Satta would be a wasted vote. Infact only, 5 to 10% of the people who are supporters of Lok Satta voted in its favour because of the propaganda of wasted vote. In truth, Lok Satta’s vote has thus been diverted to traditional parties which indulged in vote buying, liquor distribution, casteism, and parochialism. But Lok Satta refuses to blame other parties for our inability to convert our support into votes.

After honest introspection, the Lok Satta haf decided to overcome its weaknesses and strengthen itself to reach the people, instead of blaming them. “We are proud that more than 7.5 lakh voters chose to vote for us, spurning inducements like money and liquor and a host of freebies offered by all traditional parties.” Lok Satta represents the future and traditional parties represent the past. We will build a secure future for all children irrespective of caste, region, religion, and language. These elections have given us the foundation to build clean politics.

The spokesmen recalled that the Lok Satta Party right from the beginning had made it clear that it alone could not transform the country. “There are innumerable competent and honest leaders in all parties and in society who are equally fed up with the present state of affairs. The Lok Satta invited all like-minded parties, forces and individuals to join hands in its mission of unveiling new politics. The only conditions the Lok Satta stipulated for contesting elections together was the parties should pledge themselves against inducing voters with money and liquor and fielding candidates with criminal antecedents. Sadly, not a single traditional party came forward to abide by the Lok Satta criteria at least publicly. These parties should introspect honestly and correct their methods instead of indulging in mud-slinging and blame throwing.

“The Lok Satta firmly believes that buying votes with money and liquor is nothing but a travesty of democracy. People come to power by investing in votes only to enrich themselves enormously by all means. There is no raison d’etre for the Lok Satta Party if it resorts to or condones such behavior.”

Quoting Lok Satta Party President Dr. Jayaprakash Narayan, the spokesmen pointed out that the Lok Satta had made a good beginning in the 2009 elections and was poised to emerge as the future of India.