Lok Satta has no intention to support communal agenda. The 2007 Gujarat verdict bucking the usual anti-incumbency trend and several local adverse factors needs to be interpreted in a citizen-friendly manner.
There can be two possible inferences of the verdict. First, hardcore Hindutva has won again. Second, it is unrelated to religious sentiments, and people responded to better delivery of services and reduced corruption. Clearly, the latter interpretation is both accurate, and is more likely to encourage parties to improve performance rather than polarize people on caste and communal lines. Such an interpretation in no way lets a government off the hook elsewhere. It merely emphasizes the importance of delivery to gain public support. The net result is a shift from communal agenda to development agenda.
Clearly, genuine democratic governance and rule of law involve dignity, opportunity and justice. Lok Satta aims at all these. In today’s India, all three are at a premium and Gujarat reflects that deficit. Happily, there is no trade off between development and justice, and both need to go together. That we value development does not mean we value justice any less. Nor does it mean that poor development guarantees justice. We have to strive for both. That is our goal.
With warm regards, Jayaprakash Narayan Reply to a Question on Dr. JP's comment about Modi Victory from Jayaprakash Narayan's Blog by JP
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