Dr. Jayaprakash Narayan still added that a party's success did not depend solely on the competence of its leadership.
"As Loksatta's national president, I take full responsibility for the party's electoral failure," Dr. Jayaprakash Narayan said today, adding that the popular saying that "success has many fathers but failure is an orphan" is not always correct.
Addressing a media conference in the wake of the general election results in which the Loksatta drew a blank, JP said that although the Loksatta enjoyed considerable respect for its advocacy of new politics, it has not earned the people's support in the 2 general elections.
JP said that despite the electoral setback, the Loksatta was not running away from politics. For the last 18 years, the Loksatta movement, the Foundation for Democratic Reforms and the Loksatta Party had carried on a relentless struggle to change the nature of politics and succeeded in bringing about a number of epoch-making reforms, he said. That had laid the ideological foundation for the change in the political thinking of a number of politicians ranging from Narendra Modi to Arvind Kejriwal.
Yet, the party had not been successful in garnering votes in elections, JP conceded. He added that a party's success did not depend solely on the competence of its leadership. It required leaders at all levels, innumerable volunteers who were prepared to spare their time, and financial resources, besides media support. All these would be forthcoming only when society was ready for real change, he said.
JP said that the party would consider the options before it after deep introspection at both the State and the national levels. Whatever be the options, there would not be any change in its commitment to help provide quality education, healthcare, skill and employment opportunities to all; and enable economic development, good governance, decentralization of power and eradication of corruption.
JP said that people too should introspect as to why there had been no change in their lives all these years. No government, after all, had assumed power without their consent. If they simply blamed the government for their misery without shouldering the responsibility for electing it, they would be indulging in collective hypocrisy, he said, adding that poisonous seeds could not yield edible fruit.
If elections were won largely on money power, caste and regional divisions, freebies and dynastic succession, then there would not be good governance, he stated. The media too should introspect on whether it had strived to promote right thinking among people. Sections of the media for the last couple of months had fought to get their favorite parties elected, and not for the public interest, he remarked.
JP said that all political parties should learn lessons from the outcome of the just concluded general elections. For the first time after 1971, people had given a decisive mandate to a non-Congress alternative, because Narendra Modi stood for reviving the economy, creating jobs and providing good governance.
Modi had been given the golden opportunity to transform the country both politically and economically, and should display courage and commitment to help people realize their dreams, JP said. All parties should refrain from obstructionist politics and help Modi to work for the people, he suggested.
Congratulating the TRS and the TDP-BJP combine which had come to power in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh respectively, JP said that the parties had not followed the Modi path in their ascension to power. They resorted to the traditional tools of promoting regional or caste animosities, or offering sops and freebies, to gain votes. Now that the elections are over, JP said, he hoped that the two ruling parties would focus on creating jobs and fulfilling the people's aspirations.
State party leaders Katari Srinivasa Rao, P. Ravi Maruth, Y. D. Rama Rao and Omkar took part in the media conference. (INN)