Peoples’ Energy for Nonviolent Action

Jan Satyagraha is built on Janadesh.  The idea is to direct peoples’ power to bring about policy change the larger level.  The idea is also to direct peoples’ energy for nonviolent action.  Making the State accountable is a task that needs to be addressed across the globe.  Generally people are active at the time of election.  Janadesh and Jan Satyagraha are based on an understanding among the people need to be vigilant and active all the time.  A vibrant democracy can become a reality only when the people are constantly active in driving the government to the needs of the deprived section of the society.

In a globalizing world like many other countries India is also an active player.  The democratically elected government is compromising the interest of Adivasis, Dalits and Poor people of India in order to create wealth for the rich and powerful.  This is opposite to the theory of Mahatma Gandhi whom we project as Father of the Nation.  In the recent past many policies are formulated in a way that the natural resources get transferred to national multinational companies and the poor people are forced to migrate to the cities and slums.  Basically this is the development model that Jan Satyagraha is to challenge while organizing people for nonviolent action.  We are also giving various proposals to the government for consideration.  Basically the demands are to redistribute land the landless who are agricultural labourers and also to reformulate various anti poor policies to reduce the burden of development on the poor.

Though the action is going to be in India we have a re-concern about world community.  Poverty being a larger issue we cannot leave the responsibility of addressing the issue only to the government.  The civil society need to develop ideas and methods to address this issue of poverty with and without government.  So the proposed action in India will have dimensions that may help the world communities to shape and reshape their strategies.

I think it is important for the thinkers, actors and decision makers to come together not only to look at the world problems but also to find solutions in a participatory manner.

Rajagopal. P.V