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Meet on Swaraj Abhijan

By Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, May 1 � Prof Yogendra Yadav, who addressed a �Swaraj Sambad� organised by Sustha Samaj Bikash Chakra, a non-party intellectual front in the city today, said that the objective of the Swaraj Abhijan was not to criticise the follies of one or a few leaders.

�We are not here because of personal differences or personal ambition� AAP had created hope in the minds of hundreds of thousands of Indians that politics need not necessarily be dirty and that politics could be creative. Many people who were far away from politics had come to it giving up their professions and personal ambitions to create conditions for a better India based on people�s participation in democratic politics, transparency and integrity in public life,� he said.

Prof Yadav, who is the chief proponent of �alternative politics� and a key organiser of the Swaraj Abhijan, a movement recently started to rekindle the hope of true democracy and Swaraj in India, said that the movement generated a huge stock of energy and that the energy was a national wealth which needed to be used to move towards a better India.

�The Swaraj Abhijan is an attempt to bring back the founding principles of AAP to the centrestage of Indian politics,� he added.

Prof Yadav argued that the politics of Swaraj Abhijan, like all politics, should engage in five important things � struggle on the basis of social issues, constructive work among people and attempt at solving their problems, generating ideas, introspecting or looking inside, and participating in elections.

Pointing out that winning elections could not be the only purpose of politics, Prof Yadav said that Swaraj Abhijan cannot only say that �it will initiate alternative politics, but also must prove that truly democratic organisation is possible, which will be transparent with public proceedings covered by the media, federal structure, tolerance of democratic dissent without any personality cult and with a code of conduct that will cover all functionaries without exception.�

He proposed establishment of Swaraj Kendras in each village. These Kendras will try and solve the everyday problems of the masses or atleast guide them to solve those. The Kendras are to be autonomous voluntary organisations to be managed by local volunteers. He also proposed a Bharat Yatra to connect with people and to learn from them. At the end of the Yatra, a new agenda for India should be prepared with consultation with those who have learnt from the people.

Prof Yadav�s presentation was followed by comments from noted intellectual Prof Hiren Gohain, who argued that the diversity of India needed truly federal politics, �but there indeed are common problems like the problems created by globalisation.�

He said that the ways of solving those common problems needed a debate. He expressed confidence in the move made by people like Yadav and Prashant Bhushan and wanted people to participate in such politics.

There were questions and observations from the floor in response to which Prof Yadav said that alternative politics was the need of the hour.

Making the presidential remarks, Prof Apurba K Baruah said that the Swaraj Abhijan and alternative politics needed to be carried on. He explained that alternative politics must be different from the conventional politics of power seeking, pursuit of self interest, process of patronage and centralised organisation.

�Instead, it must view politics as a means of serving people. Its process must be based on dedicated work and its organisation must be thoroughly decentralised,� he added.

Earlier, Dr Dinesh Baishya delivered the welcome address.

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