Three dissident Lok Satta Party leaders on Wednesday accused party national president Surender Srivastava of trying to merge the party with the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Addressing a press conference here, the dissident leaders D.V.V.S. Varma, Katari Srinivasa Rao and Allu Siva Ramesh Reddy dubbed Mr Srivastava as a man from the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) out to destabilise the party formed to cleanse politics of money and muscle power. Challenging Mr Srivastava to hold organisational elections in a democratic manner at various levels, Mr Varma said ''we will hold organisational elections on our own at all levels and complete the process by July. “As per the Party Constitution, till an elected national working committee is constituted, the state unit will function as the national party”.
“Ours is the real Lok Satta Party,” Mr. Srinivasa Rao, who has been elected by the dissidents as LSP ad hoc National President, said. Mr. Srivastava wanted to continue as President without holding any elections for ever. “We are staking claim before the Election Commission for the ownership of the party,” he added. They were upset with Dr. Jayaprakash Narayan’s decision to quit as party President and paving the way for a crisis in the party arising out of Mr. Srivastava’s “dictatorial” style of functioning, they said. The party has a membership of over 18,000 in Andhra Pradesh, about 10,000 in Telangana, Mr. Reddy added.
