Sunday, November 30, 2008

Audio Files

1. PPF Manifesto released for discussion:
http://www.MegaShare.com/537907
2. RAJNITI KA VIKALP AUR VIKALP KI RAJNITI: by Yogendra Yadav
Part1: http://www.MegaShare.com/537914 (a small intro)
Part2: http://www.MegaShare.com/537916
part3: http://www.MegaShare.com/537919
3. Better world is possible
http://www.MegaShare.com/543241

Saturday, November 29, 2008

People Movments and PPF: a talk by Yogendra Yadav

"Last 25 years have seen struggle of people from various sections like farmers, displaced people, unorganised sector workers, women etc asserting their rights. The activists working for such sections put efforts for years in mobiliising the people, protesting and demanding but then they have to wait. They have to wait till some big decisions are taken by politicians or ministers. And When decisions are taken either they are half distorted or completly opposite to what people want as decisions on new economic policy, SEZs or dams clearly shows. So people movments throughout the country face the question: "How do we encounter this politics which either ignores us or distort our demands or goes contrary to what people want. Our streategy that we will wage struggle and someone else would do politics is not working?" In order to make direct intervention in politics, people movments have either formed national level alliances like NAPM or converted themselves in political polities like Samajwadi Janparishad and Sarvodaya Karnataka. There is a third approach, still in process of taking definite shape, an idea of an umbrella organisation where various groups, while retaining there seprate idenities, can come together to intervene in national politics in various ways. An organisation which is formed by people movments, reflects the agenda of people movments and is accountable to people movments: this is the kind of approach which has started in the name of People Political Forum. Some 50 people movments from different parts of country have come together to form it, so that they can intervene directly in politics."
Said Yogendra yadav in a meeting organised in chennai, on 21st Nov, attended by activists from various organisations like Unorganised Workers Federation, Tamilnadu manual workers union, Nirmaan Mazdoor Panchayat Sangam, All unorganised workers union, Womens Front Tamilnadu, Buddhist Society of India, Republican trade union of india, Tamilnadu Coastal Areas Fisherman's protection forum, Fisher peoples coordination committee.

PPF constituents

Organisationally the constituents are:
Azadi Bachao Andolan,
Bharat Jana Andolan,
Bandhua Mukti Morcha,
Samajvadi Jana Parishad,
Lok Shakti Abhiyan,
Asha Parivar,
Prakriti Manav Kendriya Andolan,
Rajsthan Sangharsha Seva Sangh,
Uttarakhand Lok Vahini,
Karnataka Sarvodaya Party,
Jana Mukti Sangharsha Vahini,
Maharashtra Socialist Front,
Maharashtra Lok Rajneeti manch,
Dhanbad Zila Mahila Manch etc.
It also has support of organisations like Mazddor Kisan Shakti Sangathan and NAMP(National Alliance for People movment).

New party clings to minority agenda

Statesman News Service JALPAIGURI, Nov. 24: The president of the newly formed Lok Rajniti Manch, Dr Rajendra Sachhar, today declared here that his organisation would contest in the general elections. He said that the Centre was depriving the people of the minority communities. Speaking at a public meeting organised by the Samajik Nyay Mancha, a united platform for the backward classes and the minority groups, Mr Sachhar said many from the minority and backward classes were still incapable of earning bread in this country. “Around 77 per cent of the people cannot spend 20 rupees a day. Eighty eight per cent of those people are from the Dalit community while 85 per cent are Muslims and 84 per cent are OBCs. Their socio-economic conditions are really grave,” he said.Commenting on the cast reservation system in the Indian Constitution Mr Sachhar said that reservation could not help the development of a backward community. Describing the way of development Mr Sachhar said that the people would have stand en masse in support of their demands. “There are not other options for those people but to fight for their rights,” he added.

LRM to involve people in courntry's development

To overcome the shortcomings of parliamentary democracy in India, a non-poliltical forum ''Lok Rajniti Manch'' (LRM) has been constituted as a support-base of political parties and to develop a new political culture in the country, noted journalist and civil rights activist Kuldip Nayar said today.
''Since successive governments at the Centre and states have failed to tackle people's problems under the parliamentary democratic system, formation of a platform such as LRM has become imperative and to fulfil this need, many people's organisations, small political parties, intellectuals and concerned individuals joined together to form this organisation,'' Mr Nayar, member of LRM presidium, told mediapersons here today.
Mr Nayar said major objective of the Manch was to prepare a frame work and model for an alternative order based on equity and harmony and place them before the people, to create a platform for all the peoples' movements and to strengthen them to transform the system and also to intervene in election with the perspective of people's empowerment.
Mr Nayar came here to meet poeoples' organisations of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh to discuss the ideas and working of the LRM.
Another member of LRM presidium and president of Samajwadi Jan Parishad Sunil said LRM considered that both Congress and the BJP-led alliances were dangerous for the country and the Manch would oppose established political parties in the assembly polls in six states.
''The Manch will support candidates put up by its constituent organisantions and in Madhya Pradesh it will support the candidates of Samajwadi Jan Parishad in five constituencies'', he added.
http://news.webindia123.com/news/Articles/India/20081023/1086690.html

Two Meets

"The second meet at Jaipur was that of civil groups, concerned citizens and some leaders of movements which, in the words of famous writer V.S. Naipaul, were like a "million mutinies." The groups constituted the Lok Rajnitik Manch (People's Political Platform) for making "political intervention" on the issues of livelihood, displacement, farm crisis and discrimination. The platform is meant to be an umbrella under which all organisations, engaged in arraying people against exploitation and fighting electoral battles, will stand shoulder to shoulder with their individual identity. Together, they will confront the established political order with which people are disillusioned. The effort is to evolve "a genuine interactive" restoring the democratic values that formed the basis of national polity after independence.

Limited struggles throughout the region provide ample evidence of change at the grassroots. Yet our leaders continue to indulge in the same old game of gaining ascendancy through the politics of manipulation and money. Many among them are the ones who go in for ideological posturing and populist rhetoric. They have little respect for public interest or popular sentiment which they exploit to ensure their political survival.

"from an article by Kuldip Nayair,

http://www.kashmirtimes.com/archive/0808/080807/opinion.htm

Lok Rajnitik Manch to bring people's issues to the fore

Special Correspondent : Monday, Jul 14, 2008
“Political intervention would be as direct as possible”
Several groups have expressed willingness to join the Manch
“Would support candidates fielded by its constituent groups in polls”
JAIPUR: Civil rights groups, people’s movements and concerned citizens announced the formation of a Lok Rajnitik Manch here on Sunday as a platform for making “political intervention” to bring to the fore people’s issues of livelihood, displacement, farm crisis, discrimination and hunger.
Social activists from across the country, who converged here for two days to evolve a broad framework for the Manch, said it would function as a confederation extending support to the candidates fielded by its constituent groups in the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections.
Veteran journalist and activist Kuldip Nayyar told reporters that the Manch would confront the established political order, with which the people were disillusioned, and try to evolve a “genuine alternative” restoring the democratic values that formed the basis of national polity after Independence.
Others who attended the two-day convention included noted activist Justice Rajinder Sachar, Magsaysay Award winners Aruna Roy and Sandeep Pandey, Arya Samaj leader Swami Agnivesh, political analyst Yogendra Yavav, Banwarilal Sharma of Azadi Bachao Andolan and Ravi Kiran Jain and Prem Krishna Sharma of People’s Union for Civil Liberties.
Mr. Yogendra Yadav said the mainstream political establishment in the country was working against the people and had no interest in protecting them against the forces of globalisation, exploitation and communalism. “All political parties are irrelevant for social transformation,” he added.
Mr. Yadav affirmed that the United Progressive Alliance Government’s insistence on signing the Indo-U.S. nuclear agreement was a small instance of India losing its sovereignty.
He regretted that the political parties fighting among themselves on the deal were indifferent to this basic issue.
The activists of Lok Rajnitik Manch and National Alliance of People’s Movements will stage a demonstration outside the Parliament in New Delhi on the day the UPA Government seeks the vote of confidence.
As many as 13 groups have already expressed their willingness to join the Manch and launch a mass awareness campaign for “political awakening”.
The Manch leaders said the political intervention by the newly floated body would be “as direct as possible”.

http://www.hinduonnet.com/2008/07/14/stories/2008071454380500.htm