Jayaprakash Narayan, MLA from Kukatpally and founder of Lok Satta Party, has finally spoken on the Secret 8th Chapter of Srikrishna Committee.
His response came nearly 4 months after the contents of the secret chapter came out into public domain. Several activists and intellectuals have been repeatedly questioning JP’s silence on such important issue. Their question was simple – the SKC 8th chapter undermines the very foundations of our country like constitution, democracy and press-freedom – about which Jayaprakash Narayan lectures day in and day out, yet he chose to be silent on this.
[Read the article of noted RTI activist Rakesh Reddy Dubbudu here: When Idealism Makes Way For Opportunism]
It is learnt that several members of Lok Satta Party also questioned their leader’s silence on this infamous chapter. Unable to bear the pressure coming from all quarters, LSP issued a statement last week condemning the SKC 8th Chapter. But, this statement, issued by party spokesperson, did not satisfy anyone.
So, JP has finally decided to break his silence. In a statement posted on the LSP website, JP severely criticized the Srikrishna Committee. Here are some extracts from his statement:
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“It is a deep tragedy that intemperate remarks of those in authority are adding fuel to the fire. It is expected that those in high positions or those who are entrusted with complex issues act with maturity, fairness, objectivity and restraint. Clearly, the alleged 8th chapter of Srikrishna Committee was uncalled for. There cannot be secret reports in a public enquiry, except on matters relating to national security. I have only seen excerpts of the undisclosed report in the media. I have not gone through the document myself; but what appeared in the media, and the comments of the high court give us an inkling of it. We should unreservedly oppose such casual, improper and unethical comments on an extremely sensitive and serious issue.
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However, SKC (if the committee has indeed endorsed the secret report) has done a great disservice to the nation, the state of Andhra Pradesh, and the people of Telangana. Lok Satta has always appealed to people with influence to act with dignity, restraint and fairness. The secret chapter has failed that test.
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“Sadly, all over the world, and certainly in India, there is often a combination of arrogance and ignorance that makes people bigoted. Unreasonable pride in ‘my dialect’, ‘my language’, ‘my culture’, or ‘my religion’ often gives way to prejudice. The regions and groups which had earlier access to the tools of modernization often used their advantage to perpetuate a myth about the ‘inadequacies’ and ‘cultural backwardness’ of those who were not part of the modernization band wagon. However, many wise people have always rejected such unfounded notions of superiority in language, dialect, or culture. Nevertheless, when popular art is dominated by a certain dialect or cultural idiom, those who are left out feel genuinely aggrieved. Telengana has always been home to the richest Telugu indigenous (as opposed to the highly Sanscritized) vocabulary. But our popular films, media and literature have increasingly homogenized Telugu language and culture, and have lead to alienation and a sense of marginalization of the local dialects in Telangana and elsewhere. Language is the basis of communication and mutual understanding. It is sad that language has become the source of discord between Telugu-speaking peoples of different regions. Someone said, Britain and the US are two nations separated by English language!”