Visakhapatnam : Citizens for Democracy call to voice views, protect constitutional rights

Visakhapatnam : The performance of public representatives in the state is unwelcoming. Even if the party reports indicate otherwise, people’s report card is quite contrary to it, said former chief secretary to Andhra Pradesh LV Subhrahmanyam.

Nudging people to elect right leader, who helps in protecting their democratic rights, the former Chief Secretary called for a transparent leadership and system. “Government should march towards the growth path and not on a destructive path. “We don’t need leaders who are vindictive and our state is not that foolish to elect such leaders again. We need leaders who protect their people unconditionally. If the government splashes ink on those who question the system, the loss is certainly the government’s as it is certain to lose power and with it, confidence of the people as well,” Subhrahmanyam said.

Encouraging people to voice their views sans any trace of fear at a round table conference organised by the Citizens for Democracy (CFD), involving the three-member committee, here on Wednesday, he observed the legislative members used to raise objections in case if any anti-people policies were introduced by the government. “But it is a different scenario now as most of them confine themselves to nodding and agreeing to what is being asked for albeit they would be misunderstood or rather targeted,” he continued.

In today’s democratic system, there is no scope for direct interaction between public representatives and people. Why do leaders require security when they are being elected by the people? Those who have been elected as public representatives are distanced from the public. This trend has to change and there is a need to protect our rights, mentioned Subrahmanyam.

When systems slip out of track, retired DGP MV Bhaskar Rao said, resistance should come from people and they need to come together to protect their rights. He suggested that injustice has to be fought against.

Speaking about Andhra Pradesh Land Titling Act, former AP State Election Commissioner Nimmagadda Ramesh Kumar mentioned that land disputes continue to be unsettling under the Act and people continue to struggle to protect their fundamental rights. He exhorted people to ensure their names have been included in the electoral data and approach the officials concerned in case of any omissions.

The forum gave a platform for the victims who were impacted due to land grabbing issues, police harassment, local goon and political pressure, among others. Advocates and former bureaucrats, who attended the round table meeting, exhorted people not to turn a blind eye towards injustice meted to them or others and called for their support to wage a united battle to save constitutional rights. Former IIPE director VSRK Prasad, former AU Registrar V Uma Maheswara Rao, joint secretary of the CFD V Lakshman Reddy, former additional advocate general A Satya Prasad, among others, spoke.