Lok Raj Sangathan organized a meeting on the above subject in Shahid Bhagatsingh Nagar district of Punjab on 4 July 2010. Workers, peasants, students, youth and political activists participated enthusiastically in this meeting.
Lok Raj Sangathan organized a meeting on the above subject in Shahid Bhagatsingh Nagar district of Punjab on 4 July 2010. Workers, peasants, students, youth and political activists participated enthusiastically in this meeting.
It is a fact that the members in this district had expressed their desire a month ago that such a meeting be held so that they can explain the aims of the organisation clearly to the public. Comrades of this region had started the preparations since then to make this meeting a success. The meeting was advertised in the local newspapers also.
The meeting was presided over by comrades Shiv Raj, Jarnail Singh and Harbilas Balu. Shri Krishna Chand convened the meeting.
Comrade Shiv Raj opened the meeting and talked about the significance of the topic – Why Lok Raj? He pointed out that only Lok Raj can resolve the economic, social and economic problems of India. The 63 years experience of the Indian Republic shows that the existing party based system of rule is incapable of resolving the problems that the people of India face.
A member of the All India Council of Lok Raj Sangathan, Birju Nayak said that India is considered the largest democracy in the world, but the Indian people have no right to choose the orientation of the society. For the majority of the people there is neither the security of livelihood and employment nor the power to change their miserable lives. They are not even treated as human beings in their own country. The citizens of this country are exploited based on their caste, gender, religion and nationality.
He further said that in the present political system, people are kept out of power. People don’t have the supreme power to take decisions. In other words, people of India are not sovereign. Although the first sentence of our Constitution declares that “We, the people of India have given ourselves this Constitution”, the reality is that people have no role in taking important decisions that affect the future of the society.
He pointed out that the right to taken important decisions that affect the orientation of the society and to implement them is vested in the cabinet of ministers. In this system, the role of the Parliament and the state Assemblies is to give a semblance of legitimacy to the decisions taken by the Cabinet. The Parliament or Assemblies nor are the ‘elected people’s representatives’ accountable to the people. These ‘people’s representatives’ are accountable only to their party high commands and are bound by the whip issued by the parties when it comes to voting on issues in Parliament or the state Assemblies. Similarly, the judiciary is appointed by the Cabinet and is not accountable to the people.
It is worth noting that the existing democratic system was nurtured by the British colonialists. This representative democracy was a way to further strengthen the existing repressive colonial administrative structure (including repressive apparatus like the courts, police, army). What we cannot forget is that it is this political system, that was built and perfected on Indian soil by a foreign imperialist power to exploit and plunder the Indian people, that has been given legitimacy in the 1950 Constitution by the ruling class of independent India as the most appropriate system.
In conclusion, he said that LRS was spearheading the movement for establishing Lok Raj in our country. We Indians have to come forward and take up the struggle to replace this so called largest democracy with Lok Raj.
Many questions were raised by the participants like how can Lok Raj be established?, Will parties continue to exist?, What model can be followed to achieve Lok Raj?, etc.
In response, Birju Nayak explained that in every place of work and residence, people’s committees will have to be established. These committees will establish regional councils. Every such council will be responsible for selection of the candidates for an election, for recalling elected representatives if necessary and for initiating legislation or for proposing amendments to the existing legislations.
In response to questions on the role of political parties, he explained that they have a very important role in modern society. Today it is quite inconceivable to think about social progress in the absence of political parties. Political parties have to play the role of organising the people in the overall interest of society, of making them conscious and serving as the instrument of empowerment of the people. He said that in the current political system in India, political parties are ruling in the name of the people but are serving the handful of big capitalists of the country
Comrade Jarnail Singh gave the concluding speech and said that the workers and peasants of India, who toil to produce to satisfy the daily essential needs of the society are not sure of two meals in the day for their families. He said that the Congress Party gave the slogan of Garibi Hatao in 1977 and this slogan has been used by all the parties, yet all along the rich are getting richer and the poor poorer.