The Hindu : Front Page : Lok Paritran promises clean regime

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Apr 25, 2006

Front Page

Front Page

Lok Paritran promises clean regime

Ramya Kannan

Manifesto promises to reward merit, better employment opportunities

— Photo: V. Ganesan

PRIORITIES LISTED: Tanmay Rajpurohit, president (left), releasing the Lok Paritran manifesto in Chennai on Monday. L. Hemachandran, general secretary, Tamil Nadu, is receiving it. Santhanagopalan Vasudev, founder member and Mylapore candidate, lo oks on.

CHENNAI: The only `freebie' in the manifesto of the Lok Paritran is a corruption-free government.

The raison d'etre of Lok Paritran is to eliminate corruption and bring ethics into governance.

The leadership of the political outfit started by a bunch of IITians on Monday outlined the key aspects of their first-ever election manifesto: cleaning up the `implementation pipeline' to ensure trickledown of benefits; rewarding merit, ability and skill; introducing technology and training employees in government departments.

The party's Mylapore candidate, Santhanagopalan Vasudev, said their efforts would result in better functioning of police and crime control, quick and easy processing of official documents, including licences and ration cards, better employment opportunities, poverty reduction and improvement in the health and nutrition status of the people. Education and welfare of farmers are the other subjects the party promises to take up.

Most importantly, Vasudev says, "We will ensure that the MLA's Constituency Development Fund is used solely to improve the constituency."

The party's nominees will contest in five constituencies in Chennai (Anna Nagar, Thousand Lights, Chepauk, Mylapore and Anna Nagar) and Villivakkam and Mudukulathur in Ramanathapuram on `axe' and `drums' symbols.

"We are now a force to reckon with," says Tanmay Rajpurohit, party's national president. "This is just the first step. Even if we lose seats now, it will not affect our morale... We'll get there, sooner or later."

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