‘WELFARE PARTY OF INDIA’- A New Horizon…

If anybody ask what is the need of a new political party in India, we can’t call his/her question is baseless. All political parties existing now in India are responsible to give answer. The seven decades of their service after the independence of the nation made the people passive and submissive. People have lost faith in political parties and even in leaders. A new political party, WELFARE PARTY OF INDIA has launched in India on yesterday. I found difference in this party compared to other parties as WPI is rising a new slogan, a value based political system which is exactly new and strange in this current political scenario. They are also talking about a WELFARE STATE, SOCIAL JUSTICE, EQUALITY and NEW DEVELOPMENT THOUGHTS.

Vision and Values of the Party
Party shall try to promote an alternative politics in the country that is firmly rooted in high standards of morality and ethical values and that is free from crimes, corruption, selfishness and all kinds of narrow-minded prejudices
Party will aim at the establishment of a welfare state. Party believes that sufficient nutritious food, decent clothing, proper shelter, essential health care and elementary education are among the fundamental human rights and it is the duty of a welfare state to fulfill these basic needs of each of its citizens.
Party envisages speedy growth in industry, trade, commerce and the national economy. But it shall try to reform the economy in a way as to ensure that the processes of development and wealth creation are properly regulated by the obligations of justice and equality.
Party shall promote the true spirit of democracy. Party believes in democracy not in the sense of mere majorityism but in the sense of inclusiveness and pluralism. A true democratic society is one that addresses the needs and demands of every section of the society and that ensures that every section contentedly fulfills its aspirations.Party envisages a society where all cultures have full opportunities to thrive and develop. The concept of federalism that party believes covers the cultural federalism along with geographic and linguistic federalism.

Office Bearers of Welfare Party of IndiaPresident Mr. Mujtaba Farooque. Vice Presidents Mr Ilyas Azmi, Fr. Abraham Joseph, Maulana A W Khilji, Dr Zafarul-Islam Khan, Mrs. Lalitha Naik. General Secretaries: Dr S Q R Ilyas, Prof Sohail Ahmed Khan, Prof. Rama Panchal, Mrs. Khalida Parveen, Mr. P. C. Hamza. Treasurer: Mr. Abdus Salam MSecretaries: Prof. Rama Surya Rao, Akhtar Husain Akhtar, Adv. Aamir Rasheed, Mr. Subramani.

A relentless ‘Satyagraha’

C Jamsheel

“If you ask what our political affiliation is, we would like to say that we belong to ‘anti-thermal power plant party’ workers.” These words that came from Madini Raghavulu, the vice president of Pariyavarana Parirakshana Samithi are enough to understand the protest of people of Sompeta against NCC (Nagarjuna Construction Company). “This fight is not against government, but it is for our freedom. We are not ready to forfeit our right to breathe fresh air, to drink pure water and to live in untainted soil”, Madini continued.

The proposed NCC thermal power plant at Sompeta of Srikakulam district could not even get off the ground because of the people’s agitation. The one and half year agitation is being termed a ‘Satyagraha’ initially called Pariyavarana Parirakshana Sangam, the movement was registered Pariyavarana Parirakshana Samithi in 2008.

“The authorities have been saying that the ignorant inhabitants are dissenting against the thermal power plant for nothing. We are not against any developmental activities, but we are not ready to give up our peaceful life for anything. We are really happy to be called as anti-development buddies, if you call this development” while sharing their grievance to Vantage the eyes of Beena Delhi Rao, the General Secretary of the Satyagaraha Movement turned moist.. Why the responsible department is propagating lies among the public is that it wants to create a favorable atmosphere. They are arguing that the bela (people of Sompeta usually call wet land as bela) is not wet land and it is waste land. How will the characteristics of a land change overnight? The government officials certified that the land is not bela, and hence it was all for NCC. “This should not be tolerated”, says, raising his jist.

“A Police firing took place at Sompeta against the protestors on July 14, 2010. Two people lost their life in the firing that took place while the populace gathered in a paddy field to protest against the thermal power plant. Gonapa Krishnamurthy (60) from Lakkavaram outskirt and Gunna Joga Rao (36) from Plasapuram are the living memories of that revolt and brutality”, says EAS Sharma, President of the Satyagraha Movement.

“We are not accepting any financial assistance from outside. Since we are getting good support from the public we can carry forward our agitation smoothly. We, the leaders of Satyagraha, don’t belong to a particular political party. We are the victims of development” said T Rama Rao, the vice president of the people’s movement.

It is a completely mass based protest. They have a monthly time table for the relay agitation to make sure that there will not be any break in the agitation. Based on this table they will allocate the dates for each protester. Most of the court proceedings are handled mainly by EAS Sharma with the help of some good advocates to assist him.

“The Government must trust the people of Sompeta. At least they should show the patience to listen to the voice of the common masses. We too have something to say. We don’t want to be like the NTPC (National Thermal Power Plant Corporation) victims. It is better to raise our voice before we get into the trap”, Rama Rao pointed out.

This is not the first such agitation in India. The number of protestors is increasing day by day. The Sompeta protesters also want the world to hear their grievances. They realized the socio-environmental impact of thermal power plants that even before the plant came into reality. As the Nobel Prize winner Amartya Sen said ‘Development is Freedom’.

A village resurrected

By C Jamsheel.

It had been raining for the last three days. This was not the first time the inhabitants of Kodipunjuvalasa, a village in Northern Andhra had seen a shower of this magnitude. The scene was not unfamiliar, but the tribes of the village knew there was something bad coming their way. On the wee hours of August 4, 2006 the villagers lost everything when the nature showed its face of fury. Most huts were uprooted along with trees and earth when the flowing water consumed everything on its way.

The hill located behind the tiny huts was partially destroyed due to the heavy rain. The rain and flowing water resulted in a landslide eaten away, killing 20 people. Tanks and canals were infringed, resulting in crop loss, and roads were smashed. This dark day has not faded away from the minds of the people here.

“You will never be able to imagine what we went through that day. Big boulders came down, the mud and sand flowed through our fields and some beloved, smiling faces too were washed away,” T Madhu, a farmer from the hamlet wiping his tears. The district administration had acted swiftly and did its best to reduce the damage to life and property. “We were not able to do anything at that time. If we didn’t get the help from the authority and kind hearted people the loss might have been greater”, he added

“The torrential rain not only smashed our huts and took the lives of our beloved ones, but it also wiped out our livelihood. The soil is not useful for cultivation anymore as the land became infertile. We were forced to shift our livelihood to that of a coolie”, rued Janimoddu, an inhabitant of Kodipunjuvalasa.

The tribals had demanded for five lakhs rupees as damages for the families, who lost their beloved ones in the mudslide. The reparation had rightful reason as it was to build their village from scratch. But the government addressed the demands partially.

“Former Chief Minister Y.S. Rajashekara Reddy visited us and announced an ex-gratia of three lakhs to each family, who lost their life in the heavy rain. All victims of the landslide got 95,000 rupees compensation from the government. The compensation includes Rs. 35,000 for construction of houses and Rs. 60,000 for buying livestock.” said Bheemanna, an inhabitant of Kodipujuvalasa village.

The people here hold no grudge against nature for it has always been their provider. They are happy with their present occupation. Their other thought is to put their infertile land to good use. “How can we curse others for our fate, it was really a challenge for us to recover from the untoward incident. But we had to get out from those bad memories as no one will fill our kids’ stomach,” Janirambha, a mother of three, speaking with determination in her eyes. “And life goes on; we shared our pain and worked hard to re build our community burying any differences. It took us around two years to get back on our feet” she added.

This is not a tale but it is a real story of Kodipunjuvalasa tribal village of Araku Mandal in the Vishakapatanam district. How the people of this village overcame this disaster is a symbol of strong will, determination and hard work.