Maheswarapu Gattayya, Warangal, AP – Interview

Maheswarapu Gatayya is the District President of Lok Satta, Warangal. He is the party’s candidate for Parakala constituency in the AP Assembly by-elections of June 2012, and for Bhupalpalli constituency in 2009. He was interviewed by Sravanthi Yalamanchili in May 2012.

Sravanthi: Gattayya garu, why did you decide to join politics?

Gatayya: Prior to my association with Lok Satta, I had an aversion for political parties because of their corrupt and dishonest ways. This is the reason I stayed away even though I had opportunities from traditional parties to join. I came across JP garu and Lok Satta party in 2009. I understood that Lok Satta, unlike traditional parties, does not mislead people. It is a party of good ideologies and is working on putting them to action. This is the reason I joined Lok Satta expecting to change the lives of at least a few people. With the same spirit, I contested in 2009 assembly elections from Bhupalpalli.

Sravanthi: As the President of Lok Satta Party for Warangal District, you had been working on several issues. What is your current project?

Gatayya: We are currently working to empower people by raising awareness and providing legal help for social and environmental issues around Bhupalpalli . I am a lawyer by profession. We formed small volunteer groups comprising of members from Lok Satta Party and few of my colleagues who are also in legal profession to visit villages and provide services irrespective of people’s political alliance and background. We are covering local issues like mining. For example, the AP GENCO of Bhupalpally mines is only 5 km radius. But the effects are spread as much as 20 kms in the neighborhood. People are experiencing a slow poison effect mainly because of the dust pollution from mining. The lands too are becoming infertile. In fact, the mining company was supposed to grow trees in the neighborhood and provide water to the farmers through lift irrigation. Most people are not even aware of this. So, we are trying to empower them and build up momentum to demand their rights. We are also demanding AP GENCO to provide free medical care for the neighboring people who are affected. Another main area where we are working on is cautioning the mining workers about the contract agreements they have signed out of ignorance.

As a part of this awareness campaign, we are also demonstrating the importance of understanding market fluctuations and need for storage facilities to local farmers. A crop like cotton sells for Rs. 3000-4000 a quintal normally . But, if the farmers can store it and sell based on the market fluctuations, they can make more than Rs.7000.

We are receiving good response from people because nobody explains and helps them this way. We are also making every effort to show people what Lok Satta is about and what we had been doing. Take the recent campaign launched by Lok Satta that forced the government to increase MSP for paddy. All we are asking people is to juxtapose our work with the traditional political parties whose only motto is to lure and loot.

Sravanthi: You are contesting from Parakala by-elections which are a few days away. How is your campaign experience so far?

Gatayya: People have immense trust in Lok Satta. I have a decent reputation as a lawyer and have interacted with several groups of locals on various campaigns for Lok Satta since 2009. Because of these reasons, we getting a good response. One of the main aspects of our campaign is to take the message that Lok Satta is not against Telangana to the masses. The traditional political parties are using Telangana sentiment for their personal benefit. As of today, all major parties are supporting a separate state including BJP, TRS, Congress & TDP. Then who is stopping them? Why haven’t we achieved the state of Telangana yet? There is no clarity. Had Lok Satta been in power, we would have settled this issue peacefully.

Sravanthi: How about publicity campaign?

Gatayya:. We have several teams of volunteers led by myself and State level leaders like Raja Reddy, Bandaru Rammohan, Geeta Murthy and Vijayender Reddy touring the villages. Our goal is to reach as many people as possible. We are also doing pamphlet distribution and vehicle campaigns.

Sravanthi: What about funds ?

Gatayya: Funds are definitely a limitation. We can do much better if people can come forward to donate even if it is a small amount.

Sravanthi: What are some future activities in planning?

Gatayya: We are in the process of forming a 200 member group comprising of youth and retired people to identify and solve local issues in Parakala and Bhupalpalli. We will be launching it soon after elections.

Sravanthi: Is there a message you would like to share with our readers?

Gatayya: Money politics is becoming more prevalent day by day. Unfortunately, we have come to a situation where people are accepting bad governance as a way of life. We need citizen empowerment. If we can encourage people to understand the situation and make them an active part of the democracy, they themselves will question the wrong doings of the government and demand answers. So, please put your every effort to bring out this empowerment within yourself and in the society.

Sravanthi: Thanks Gatayya garu, On behalf of People for Lok Satta, I would like to wish you good luck for the upcoming elections.

Gatayya: Thank you.

Jonnalagadda Jaya Bhagyam, Prattipadu, Guntur – Interview

Jonnalagadda Jaya Bhagyam is the Lok Satta Party candidate for the Prattipadu constituency in the Assembly by-elections of June 2012. She was interviewed by Sravanthi Yalamanchili in May 2012.

Sravanthi: Jaya Bhaghyam garu, what is your background? What inspired you to join politics?

Jaya Bhagyam: I am a commoner. I do not have a political background. So why did I join politics?

Men living in our area earn between 150 to 500 rupees a day from various jobs. As soon as they get down from the bus after work, they go straight to the liquor shop that is conveniently located next to the bus stop and spend most of their wages on liquor. They can hardly feed their families with what is left out of their earnings and most of the time, there is no money left after their drinking session. There are no words to explain the plight of the women and children of these families. They are forced to take up hard jobs just to make ends meet. We have children as young as 11 years old doing hard labor. 90 percent of the low income families in the state are facing this situation. Even worse, women face physical abuse and beatings from their husbands resulting in them committing suicide in a few cases. I could not stand this. So I gathered 400 women and started a campaign. This is the genesis of my entrance into politics.

Sravanthi: Tell us more about your liquor free campaign.

Jaya Bhagyam: 400 of us women rallied to the Collector’s office. We did not receive any response. So, we went to the MRO’s office and did a dharna while 19 of us started fasting indefinitely. By the end of the third day, police came and arrested us. They took us to a hospital for treatment, but we did not receive any and as the police left, the hospital staff kicked us out. It was 2:00 AM in the morning. Where could we go? What should we do? We did not know. At this juncture, leaders from the Loksatta Party came to our rescue and took us to the party office and offered us water and bananas. Despite their offering us food, 19 of us continued to fast. The next morning, they took us to the Collector’s office. We asked him, “What’s the use of two-rupee-kilo-rice or pensions if people are suffering from misery and dying at an early age?” and requested him to abolish the brandy shops. Though he did not initially agree, he eventually succumbed to our collective pressure and sealed the liquor shops. But on the third following the sealing, the shops re-opened and started serving liquor as usual. So, we teamed up with Loksatta leaders Padma Rani garu, Durga Devi garu, Ram Murthy garu and Katari Srinivas Rao garu. We went to Hyderabad to meet the Chief Minsiter Late Mr. Rajashekar Reddy garu. The CM said the government cannot do anything about this and left us. Then we went to Excise Officer Samarayya garu. He asked us to wait for 2 months and then removed the shops from the auction.

Sravanthi: How many liquor shops were closed because of this effort?

Jaya Bhagyam: A few. Our village Pedagottipadu and the neighboring villages of Agniguntapalem, Rayapadu became liquor free. We also got a few belt shop owners arrested and destroyed the shops that were put up illegally after the liquor licenses were cancelled. In 2007, we marched 63 kilometers with JP to the Collector’s office. This ignited a state wide moment and Loksatta closed a few hundred belt shops across the state.

Sravanthi: Did you try any personal approach with the addicted men? Does counseling help them?

Jaya Bhagyam: Yes we did try counseling and no, it does not really help. Only a handful gave up liquor after counseling and it had no effect at all on more than 75% of them. If you throw some rice outside the house, you are tempting the dogs to come and eat. I told the same thing to the Excise Officer Samarayya garu. If government approves licenses to open liquor shops in every nook and corner, how can we prevent our men from turning into alcoholics?

Sravanthi: Let us talk about your candidacy for the upcoming by-elections from Prathipadu constituency. What is the reason you decided to run for office?

Jaya Bhagyam: No matter which traditional party comes into power, nothing changes. We need a government that does not encourage people to drink. Our country can move forward only when we are able to create liquor free communities and villages. Traditional political parties like Congress and TDP are giving away money and liquor during elections. People are falling for those freebies and voting for the wrong people. This is the reason why we got associated with Lok Satta – a party that doesn’t give any freebies. We want to see Lok Satta in power.

Sravanthi: What are your main areas of focus?

Jaya Bhagyam: Liquor Free communities and socio-economic upliftment of women.

Sravanthi: Do you have any experience in leadership? Are you associated with any women empowerment groups?

Jaya Bhagyam: Yes. Until 2009, I was in-charge of around 100 DWACRA groups. I am also a member of General Committee at the mandal level. I had been serving as the Gramsamakya President since 2004.

Sravanthi: What are the kinds of activities you take up in these positions?

Jaya Bhagyam: Women empowerment, counseling, standing up for women who are facing physical abuse, charity work and helping children of widows and poor families to get education.

Sravanthi: As a person with no political background, what gave you the strength to compete against those powerful party candidates?

Jaya Bhagyam: As a commoner, I was able to stand against all odds for 1 year and 4 months even risking my life to launch a campaign against the liquor shops. Though it was tough, we still stood strong and were successful. For elections too, we got in with great determination and commitment. I am not here to earn money or for self-gain. I am here to create a better society. I hope the people see this.

Sravanthi: What about funds for campaigning?

Jaya Bhagyam: I have no money of my own to fund the campaign. The Loksatta Party is helping us with publicity and campaign expenses.

Sravanthi: What are your future plans?

Jaya Bhagyam: Regardless of the results in the elections, I am not going to give up the cause of liquor-free communities.

Sravanthi: Is there a message you would like to share with our readers?

Jaya Bhagyam: We want your complete support, especially from women and young educated students. I urge you to step forward to join hands and fight along with me to take this campaign forward.

Sravanthi: Jaya Bhagyam garu, we, from PFL would like to wish you GOOD LUCK. Thank you for your time.

Jaya Bhagyam: Thank you.

Nellore Narasaiah, Kovur, Nellore, AP – Profile (Election Special)

Nellore Narasaiah is the Lok Satta Party candidate for the Kovur constituency in the Assembly by-elections of March 2012. This profile was narrated by him and scribed by Prakash Kapila. Audio of another interview/interaction with Mr. Narasaiah and campaign team here.

Personal bio:

My father was a farmer. I am a farmer. We are from Totapalli mandal in Nellore district. I studied up to 10th class and have spent my life doing the labors involved in agriculture. Each and every aspect of farming, I have done with my hands and faced all the ups and downs. I moved to Nellore town because of marriage relations and children’s education. My son is MCA and my daughter is MSc(microbiology) and she is getting married on March 9, 2012. I enjoyed a carefree life till I was 20 and fulfilled family responsibilities till 49. Now, I want to dedicate myself to the public.

Politics:

The present political system has degraded into a business with higher class people manipulating the system to benefit themselves and their own people. The primary job of politicians is to figure out which parts of the government machinery are not working properly and to make it work properly, by creating laws when necessary.

Mohd. Ghouse Moinuddin, Mahbubnagar, AP – Profile (Election Special)

Mohammad Ghouse Moinuddin is the Lok Satta Party candidate for the Mahbubnagar constituency in the Assembly by-elections of March 2012. Audio of an interview/interaction with Mr. Ghouse and the LSP campaign team here. .

Mr. Ghouse is a native of Mahbubnagar, and has been chosen by the party because of his sincere concern and work for social welfare, good local knowledge, reputation and support, dynamism in decision-making, and able communication skills. An honest and successful businessman in the field of education, he has focused on programs catering to the socially and economically backward sections. Currently based in Hyderabad for business reasons, he previously contributed to the Mahbubnagar edition of the Eenadu daily newspaper for two years, and gained in-depth knowledge of the local issues. Equally proficient in three languages – Urdu, Telugu, and English, he is able to articulate and connect with all sections of citizens.

His driving principle in politics is clear – ‘All that matters in politics is People’ and he believes that the job of a leader is to be a bridge between the people and the government. Vexed with the present-day politicians of most parties who are caught in a cynical pursuit of power and money, he had been considering joining active politics since 2009. He wanted to associate with a clean party and Lok Satta stood out for him as most promising. He had been following its work from a long time, since being impressed with articles written by Dr. JP in Eenadu many years ago. The socio-political analysis and proposals for reforms in these articles attracted him primarily because of how insightful and practical they were. He had noticed that Lok Satta works on raising important issues and also articulates well-considered solutions for them.

Madhav Kshatriya, Vijayawada/Hyderabad – Profile

Madhav Kshatriya is a Member of the State Working Committee of the Lok Satta Party. He comes from a family with a record of public service and political experience. The famous Vavilala Gopalakrishanayya, contemporary of Tanguturi Prakasam and a 4-time MLA is Madhav’s grandfather. Because of this background, Madhav has been a keen observer of politics right since his childhood and innately knows that good politics can be the biggest game changer for all the ills plaguing the country. He has also seen Dr. Jayaprakash Narayan interact with his grandfather from close quarters even before Lok Satta became a political party.

Madhav has always wanted to be a politician. Even while completing his MBA in Australia and working as a Senior Manager at the Indian School of Business, Hyderabad, he has nurtured his goal of getting into politics full-time. This happened in 2009 when he put his career on hold and plunged into full-time politics. Naturally, he chose the Lok Satta Party.

Madhav Kshatriya, Vijayawada/Hyderabad – Interview

Madhav Kshatriya is a member of the State Working Committee of Lok Satta Party. He was interviewed by Raghuveer Mukkamalla in January 2012. Madhav can be reached via email or Facebook.

Raghuveer: Madhav garu, tell us about yourself.

Madhav: I am a native of Guntur and hail from a family of freedom fighters. My mother is a retired professor, my wife works in the IT industry and I have a kid who attends school.

I was a Senior Manager at Indian School of Business. I have an MBA from a University in Australia and worked in that country as well. After I decided to join politics full-time, I gave up my career aspirations and joined the Lok Satta Party.

Raghuveer: Freedom fighters family, you say! Tell us more.

Bommisetti Venkata Ramana (Babu), Rayadurgam, Anantapur – Profile

Bommisetti Venkata Ramana leads the Lok Satta Party in Rayadurgam constituency, Anantapur and is a member of Lok Satta’s sub-committee on agriculture. He can be reached via phone (+91-9989838872) or email.

Popularly known as Babu, Venkata Ramana has emerged as a leader by relentlessly pursuing local problems in Rayadurgam on a daily basis, on the ground and in the press. He speaks of how persistence – to create awareness with meetings and press statements, following up with demanding action from responsible officials and representatives, resorting to dharnas and protests when petitions are ignored – has been the key to success in solving the local problems. Some of the achievements in Rayadurgam include demolition of ill-maintained and disease breeding public toilets and proper implementation of a welfare scheme to provide private toilets for the poor, and action towards appointment of several new doctors in the pitiably understaffed hospitals of Anantapur district.

A primary focus of his is to voice the problems of farmers and demand justice and better policy from the Government.