Lok Satta Party founder-president Dr Jayaprakash Narayan has said that he whole-heartedly supports formation of Telangana State as part of a comprehensive and amicable solution. The Telangana people have repeatedly expressed their aspiration for a separate State and it cannot be ignored in a democratic society, he added.
Dr JP appealed to all political parties and the media to observe restraint. While political parties have the right to carry on movements, they should not in the process foment hatred or disrupt normal life and undermine the future of the youth, he said. As Andhra Pradesh is already going through a crisis with investors shunning the State and the government in a state of paralysis, the media houses should keep public interest in mind and not magnify trivial issues to attract eyeballs or boost circulation, he added.
Addressing a media conference on the occasion of sixth anniversary of his party here Tuesday,
Dr JP said, the “journey since the formation of the party six years ago on Mahatma Gandhi’s birth anniversary has been difficult and uneven but rewarding. We have many miles to go but we move forward with clear knowledge and firm determination that there is no alternative to the Gandhian path for a better India.”
Pointing out that Mahatma Gandhi essentially stood for four values or principles, he said Mahatma stood for ethical politics and maintained that public life is an extension of personal life and practiced what he preached. He said Gandhi’s values are eternal and universal and are relevant to a vast, complex, diverse and ancient society like ours. “Our failure to translate those principles into action in free India has landed us in crisis,” he said.
Answering a question, Dr JP said he welcomed TDP president N. Chandrababu Naidu’s marathon padayatra. Chandrababu Naidu, who has rich experience as a politician for over three decades, should now act like a statesman and come up with honest and concrete solutions to the State’s umpteen problems and not focus on short-term gains, he added.
Revealing that people planning to float a new political party in New Delhi were in touch with the Lok Satta, he said that there would have been no need for new parties had the existing parties played their role sincerely and correctly.
Lok Satta working president D. V. V. S. Varma, party’s Greater Hyderabad unit president M. Satyanarayana, Mahila Satta leader K. Gita Murthy and others were present. Earlier Dr JP unfurled the National Flag and paid floral tribute to Gandhi’s portrait.
–Agencies