Political parties to march in Bengaluru for clean politics on Oct 2

by October 1, 2013 Governance
Lok Satta, Aam Aadmi Party and JD(U) have organised a walk on October 2 in Bangalore, from M G Road to Anand Rao Circle, demanding de-criminalisation of politics.

The Supreme Court recently barred criminals from contesting elections, and also ruled that convicted MLAs and MPs would lose their seats. Our politicians immediately tried to overturn this through an Ordinance, approved by the entire cabinet. The other parties, which are supposed to provide opposition to such dubious steps, also kept quiet because such moves benefit them too. But there is no doubt that this retrograde step will infinitely harm democracy in India. 

Speaking to the media at Bangalore Press Club, JD(U) State President M P Nadagouda said:  “On September 14 we held a conference on Electoral Reforms. After the conference a meeting was held under the chairmanship of Freedom Fighter H S Doreswamy and was agreed to continue the fight for this cause. As part of this continued fight, we have organised a Walk For Democracy on Gandhi Jayanthi day.”

LokSatta Party leader Ravi Krishna Reddy said: “The present system does not allow honest and clean politics. Unless the rules of the game are changed and rule of law applicable to all, the present system will not encourage True Democracy,  It is time all of us come together to fight this battle.

Siddarth Sharma of Aam Admi Party said the demands are:

  1. The laws of the country must not, under any circumstance, allow convicted persons to remain elected representatives.
  2. The Election Commission must be fully empowered to and held accountable to ensure that money power in elections is reduced progressively and eliminated.
  3. The Election Commission must be held accountable to ensure easy registration of voters, including in all colleges and through post offices, and that the voter rolls should be accurate, and continuoulsy updated, with penalties applicable for errors and deficiencies in registration.

Walk begins at Mahatma Gandhi statue on M.G Road at 9:30am and culminates at Gandhi statue in Anand Rao Circle. The route will be MG Road, Kasturba Road, Mallya Hospital, NR Circle, Mysore Bank and Anand Rao Circle.

“We request all citizens to join this march to demand political reforms and remind the world that the real tribute to Mahatma Gandhi is true democracy,” says a joint press release from all the three parties.

Related Articles

Loksatta urges govt to subsidise public transport
Sachidanandanagar khata saga: Gandhigiri part two
Celebrate the spirit of Mahatma; Celebrate the Joy of Giving

Sections:

About Srinivas Alavilli

Srinivas Alavilli is a citizen activist based in Bengaluru, working on a variety of issues. He is the co-founder of Citizens for Bengaluru, and is currently Fellow at WRI India.
Read more by Srinivas Alavilli

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Similar Story

Building trust and transparency: How to protect stakeholders in apartment associations

by March 12, 2025 Governance
Part 3 of this series explores ways to settle disputes effectively and to ensure transparency and accountability.

In the first part of this series, we explored the legal and practical challenges faced by apartment owners and associations and the need for clarity about the legislations that govern apartment ownership in Karnataka. Part 2 focused on frequently asked questions about the registration of apartment associations and took a closer look at the regulatory landscape in the State. Effective management of apartment associations is critical to ensure the smooth functioning of residential communities. However, disputes over maintenance charges, redevelopment processes, financial mismanagement and compliance with legal norms often create conflicts between stakeholders. Part 3 of our series on apartment…

Continue reading

Similar Story

Why clean air funds have been stalled, even as Bengaluru air worsens

by March 11, 2025 Governance
NCAP funds worth over 250 crores lie unutilised, while Bengaluru's air quality steadily worsens. Now the funds have been stalled. What’s behind it all?

Bengaluru’s air quality has been seriously worsening post COVID. The annual levels of PM10 saw a decline between 2018 and 2021, but has been slowly increasing since then. Government authorities say that the air quality in Bengaluru is better compared to other cities. But while the PM2.5 levels may conform to the national standards, according to a Greenpeace report it is still four to nine times higher than WHO standards. There is thus a huge need for improvement. The city, however, has used very little of the clean air funds received under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP). Also non-utilisation…

Continue reading