Leaders like Shivaji Raju exemplify Lok Satta’s commitment to honest and nepotism-free politics. Shivaji Raju joined the Lok Satta party as a commoner without any influential background in 2009, and by 2010 he was heading the entire team of Vidyarthi Satta. Today, aged only 29, he is the State President for Yuva Satta and a member of several decision making committees within Lok Satta. As he himself asks, “Is this even possible in most other parties?”. Outside of Lok Satta, Shivaji Raju gained state-wide recognition after he and his team exposed the 42 crore scam in the AP government’s ‘Rajiv Yuva Kiranalu’ scheme. He is currently leading campaigns to promote the involvement of youth in politics.
Shivaji Raju can be reached via email and Facebook. Find out more about him and his work through this interview by Sravanthi Yalamanchili.
Sravanthi: Shivaji garu, Tell us about your background and why did you join Lok Satta?
Shivaji: I was born and brought up in Hyderabad. I finished my degree from Wesley College. During my student days, I used to volunteer for Akhila Bharata Vidhya Parishad ( ABVP), a student wing of BJP . Slowly, I realized it is no different from a typical political party whose motive is power and money. So, I went into inactive mode after college. In 2009, I happened to listen to a speech of JP garu in Quthbullapur Constituency. I was in fact travelling in a bus and got down to see what’s going on. That speech of JP garu and ideologies laid out by him inspired me very much. So, I joined the Lok Satta Party as a volunteer and later as a paid member.
Sravanthi: How was your experience like after joining Lok Satta? Was it similar or different from your experience as a student volunteer of BJP?
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