All-party meet condemns attack on JP

An All-party meeting conducted on Friday said that the attack on Lok Satta Party president and Kukatpally MLA Jayaprakash Narayan on the Legislature premises was an attack on Constitutional and democratic values and freedom of expression. The attack epitomized the decline in democratic values, the meeting said in an unanimous resolution.

The meeting conducted at the Lok Satta Party headquarters also condemned attacks on Lok Satta activists in Medak, and LB Nagar and Moti Nagar in Hyderabad, and congratulated youth in the US who took out protest rallies in Irwin and other cities.

Lok Satta Party working president DVVS Varma presided over the meeting attended by representatives of the Congress, TDP, PRP, CPI, CPM, Forward Block, RSP, and Telangana Democratic Front and a number of voluntary organizations.

Inaugurating the meeting, Mr Varma said rowdyism and goondaism in Legislatures mirrored the decline the democratic values. The Lok Satta Party had convened the meeting not to seek sympathy for its leader or to demand action against culprits responsible for the assault. It aimed at discussing how political parties with different ideologies and policies should conduct their activities. 

Leader N Tulasi Reddy said it was shameful that at a time countries like Egypt are fighting against despotism, democratic traditions are being given a go-by in India.

CPI’s Ramakrishna said that political parties would lose credibility further if they choose to physically attack their opponents, instead of respecting their point of view. YV Rao of the CPM was of the view that all parties should condemn physical attacks transcending their political differences.

TDP leders BN Reddy and Vijayalakshmi said physical attacks based on brute numbers deserved to be condemned by all, while PRP leader Ramachandraiah said means should be as noble as ends. The attack on Dr Narayan, who is fighting for restoration of ethics in politics, is reprehensible, he added.

Deshpande (Forward Bloc) said the struggle for a Telangana would not be furthered by attacks on freedom of expression. The TRS legislators should have peacefully protested against the Governor’s address. Telangana people’s pleasure over the success of the non-cooperation movement evaporated in the wake of the attack on Dr Narayan, said Ms Vijayalaskhmi (Telangana Democratic Front).

Padmanabha Reddy (Center for Good Governance) regretted that the attack would prevent good people from entering politics. Justice Lakshman Reddy (Jana Chaitanya Vedika) said the attack triggered concern over the safety of people from other regions in Hyderabad.

Srinivasa Reddy (IJU) said he believed that the LSP chief is the only real people’s representative in the Assembly. Although he too stood for a Telangana State, he felt the attack adversely affected the morale of separatists. Senior journalist Devulapalli Amar said that politicians should respect others’ opinions even when they differed from theirs.

Among others who condemned the attack were Lok Nath, , Chengalreddy (Rytu Samakhya), K Aruna, Venkatramayya and Prasad.

Lok Satta Party leaders G Raja Reddy, Katari Srinivasa Rao, and Gita Murthy coordinated the meeting.