Lok Ummedwar Abhiyaan Urges PM Modi to Address Democratic Reforms in US Visit

PM Modi USA visit - For the first time in nine years Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be on the first state visit to the United States of America from June 21- June 24. It is absolutely a historic visit where two of the world’s strongest and largest democracies will meet and share the podium. This visit will be the crucial milestone for India-US partnership. Indian diaspora will be present there in very large number to welcome the PM Modi.

Convener of Lok Ummedwar Abhiyaan, Dr. Munish Raizada stated that “As India is celebrating “Amrit Kaal” and heading towards a more prosperous, developed and powerful nation, It’s the right time to bring long due democratic reforms in the country. We the Lok Ummedwar Abhiyaan appeal PM Modi to address three important democratic reforms which is scrap of electoral bonds, empowerment of none of the above (NOTA) and one nation-one election in the joint session of US congress”.

Empowerment of none of the above (NOTA)- According to ADR, 43% of the newly elected MPs in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections had criminal records. Who is responsible for this? Is it the voters who sold themselves out in return for just a bottle of "Quarter," or is it the political parties that gave tickets to those individuals (Mafia Man) who possess both money and muscle power? As of now, there seems to be only one solution: empowering the NOTA (None of the Above) option. In any election, if NOTA receives the highest number of votes, there should be a by-election, and the candidates who previously contested should be barred from running again.

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Scrap electoral bonds- Electoral bonds have become the gateway for dark money and black money politics due to their anonymity, while an ordinary taxpayer has required to disclose his all-financial details to the government. These bonds function as the hen that lays golden eggs for political parties. To restore transparency in the entire process of political funding, electoral bonds should be scrapped immediately.

One Nation-One Election- Every year, numerous state elections take place in our country. It has become necessary to implement the concept of 'one nation - one election' because it would help us to save a significant amount of taxpayers' money and reduce the burden on administration. Additionally, if elections occur only once every five years, it would enable politicians to focus on their work and the development of the nation, rather than engaging in constant political quarrels.

Lok Ummedwar Abhiyaan (Public Candidate) is a campaign committed to bring democratic, electoral and judicial reforms in the country. The main agenda of this campaign is to empower the none of the above (NOTA) option, abolish electoral bonds, brought political parties under the ambit of the RTI Act, implement one nation one election, introduce the right to recall, and ban big currency notes. It also supports other reforms that will make our democracy vibrant and fairer. Read about all the reforms at www.luindia.org