National Press Release – to be released across India [Word version | Hindi | Telugu | Marathi]

2 October 2016 – embargoed till 2 pm

Swarna Bharat Party President Sanjay Sonawani today launched a national movement for good governance by marching, along with over 100 persons, from Raj Ghat to Delhi Police HQ. In the march were other senior leaders of the party, including Alok Kumar, National Vice-President, Vidyut Jain, National Joint Secretary, and Rahul Pandit, Spokesperson.

Mr Sonawani said that Mahatma Gandhi would have been extremely unhappy with the spread of corruption at all levels of government. The results of India’s chronic misgovernance face us every day, at each step.

Mr Sonawani said that Prime Minister Mr Modi has failed to respond to the party’s Open Letter written to him on 26 August 2016 in which the party had asked that funding for the police be doubled and increased ten times for the judiciary. SBP had provided detailed reasons why such funding is necessary, including photographs of the deplorable conditions facing the police and the judiciary.

SBP also showed the Prime Minister how these additional funds can be obtained, mainly by divesting public sector undertakings. There is no reason for a government to operate businesses and run banks.

Mahatma Gandhi said, “eHeGovernment that is ideal governs the least. It is no self-government that leaves nothing for the people to do”. The people can run businesses themselves. If necessary, government can regulate businesses, but it must not directly undertake any business.

Mr Modi claims that he wants “Minimum Government Maximum Governance” and that “Government has no business in business”. And yet the Modi government is busy selling duty free liquor and cigarettes and has no time left to govern. Only recently ITDC has opened its 10th duty free shop.

SBP had also asked Mr Modi in its letter to implement critically needed governance reforms. These include state funding of elections on a per vote basis to allow honest people to contest elections and elimination of the guarantee of tenure for senior bureaucrats. Government servants must be held to account for results. It is also urgently necessary to strengthen India’s defence.

In its letter, Swarna Bharat Party had said: “Should you choose not to implement these demands, we will infer that you have no intention to implement governance reforms and that you do not care about India’s development.”  Mr Modi did not care to respond. The nation can now see clearly that Mr Modi is not interested in India’s future.

The Party has therefore launched this national movement on behalf of the People of India to demand these urgently needed reforms. He said that the party will carry on this movement till all reforms are implemented and invited the people to join the movement. Only when all these reforms are implemented will India become a Sone Ki Chidiya: the freest, richest and most powerful nation on Earth.

End

Notes for Editors

SBP is India’s only liberal party, committed to defending liberty and promoting prosperity.

Contacts:

Sanjay Sonawani (Pune), National President, +91 9860991205

Alok Kumar (Ghaziabad), National Vice President and President UP State Unit, +91 9999755334

Rahul Pandit (Hyderabad), National Spokesperson, +91 9703425422

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