Press Release – at the Press Meet on 26th April 2017, Chennai Press Club
‘People’s Movement for Clean Politics’
‘Wresting the Citizens Rights from Polity’
The political scenario in the country at the centre as well as various states is agonizing. ‘Politics without principles’ has negated the dreams of our forefathers – freedom fighters – to make India a land of peace and plenty and the constitutional guarantee of equality, justice and fraternity.
Main stream politics is abounding with shamelessly corrupt, criminal, dynastic, communal/ caste based, greedy individuals and leaders, subverting the very idea of democratic and welfare governance.
Further, people are forced to elect only among the contesting – mostly – dishonest, self centered, self aggrandizers, while the money bags, business tycoons and looters go about nominating their yes men and henchmen to every legislative position and continue looting all resources, converting and amassing them as their personal wealth.
To scuttle this alarming deterioration in public life and restore sense to, revitalize and redeem politics, people have to be empowered to select, nominate and elect honest persons among themselves as their representatives to all governing bodies and thus transform the governance to a more participatory democracy with provisions for referendum and recall.
There is a shocking apathy among the people. They feel their duty ends with voting once in five years. To make the elected representative do their duty properly is also our duty and it is an ongoing one.
We – a group of activists lead by retired IAS officers, other eminent persons and well intentioned activist groups – are launching this movement to empower the citizens to get rid of the corrupt, criminal, dynastic, communal and caste based politics and establish the rule of honesty, to ensure peace, justice and dignity to all citizens without any discrimination, as guaranteed by the constitution.
Some work has been initiated in some villages to bring about awareness that the people of each constituency should select, nominate and elect honest persons among themselves as their representatives to governing councils – Local bodies, Assemblies and Parliament – and usher in direct/ participatory democracy. In immediate focus is the local body election in Tamil Nadu, due by July 2017.
Though a score of NGOs and other activists groups are working on various issues afflicting the public, we need a synergy to be built up and all well meaning groups and individuals should come forward to hold hands together, to take on the all mighty polity to save this nation from the impending peril.
A large gathering of various social activists groups to get together to take on the Goliath is being planned to be held soon. It is a call of duty to all well meaning citizens to join hands and march in unison to an egalitarian future.
Issued on behalf of ‘People’s Movement for Clean Politics’ by:
Sd.
D.K.Oza
[Retd. IAS, VC Gandhigram Rural University]
Sd.
K. Raja Rajan
[Gandhian Initiative for Social Transformation] Ph: +91 94441 60839,
Email: letsbelldcat@gmail.com
Sd.
Raghavan Srinivasan
[Lok Raj Sangathan]
Ph: +91 98181 86610
Email: raghavansrin@gmail.com
