Friday, May 09, 2008

Eschew foul public debate, Appeals Dr. JP

Hyderabad, May 6
Lok Satta Party President Dr. Jayaprakash Narayan said today that there could not be a greater disgrace in the land of Gandhi and Ambedkar than politicians indulging foul language against each other in public debate. He appealed to all parties to exercise restraint and elevate public discourse.

He was commenting on the polemical exchanges between TDP leader Devender Goud and TRS President K. C. Chandrasekhara Rao, and Chief Minister Dr. Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy and the TDP President N. Chandrababu Naidu, and other leaders in the recent past.

The Lok Satta always believed that politics is a noble endeavor. Elections provided an opportunity for political parties to mobilize public opinion in favor of their policies and ideas. But when politics degenerates into private business and political parties are driven by their unbridled lust for power without any agenda, they indulge in personal rivalry, disgraceful public debate and cheap diatribes unbecoming of people aspiring to be or pretending to be leaders. If public functionaries cannot become role models, they have no place in public life, Dr. JP said.

Dr. JP regretted that traditional parties and politicians seemed to believe that they could not survive without the crutches of power or the nuisance value it confers on them. Although politics is important it forms only a small part of life. Unfortunately in India, the entire society is revolving round politics and political parties are receiving disproportionate and unwarranted attention.

Dr. JP said: “Our society is facing grave short-term and long-term problems affording an opportunity to find meaningful solutions. But when parties have no agenda, they indulge in rabble-rousing and disruptive behavior. The media and society shall deprive such politics and politicians the oxygen of publicity and attention. The need of the hour is promoting a healthy and vigorous debate on education, health care, equity, employment, justice, rule of law and corruption in politics”.

No comments:

Post a Comment