NEW DELHI, India: A new political force came into being as V.P. Singh formally launched Jan-morcha. The morcha is not a political party, Singh said, it would concentrate on creating a mass movement for value based politics. Mr: Ram Dhan would be its convener. The morcha flag will be the tricolored, with a red spot in the center. Till Friday morning, 22,300 people had become members of the morcha, it was pointed out. Two more Congress (I) members of the Parliament joined Mr. V.P. Singh’s camp. They are Mr. Anand Charandas, Lok Sabha M.P. from Jaipur in Orissa, and Hari Singh Nalwa, Rajya Sabha Member from Haryana, now the member of dissident Congress (I). Mr. Biju Patnaik the Orissa Janata Party leader, said that all Janata Party M.L.A.s from Orissa would support V.P. Singh. Ram kishan Hegde was the first volunteer of Singh. Patnaik said he would be another volunteer. He was speaking at a function to launch the Jan morcha at Singh’s residence. Mr. Patnaik said another State will opt Janata Party leader was accompanied by Parsad Sharad Deo, the Janata MP and Ram Chandar Ratt, former Youth Congress (I) President, and Central Minister. Anybody could become a member of the morcha, Mr. Singh declared at the press conference. All he had to do was to sign a pledge and pay an annual fee of 1 rupee. The pledge embodies a commitment to struggle for strengthening national unity, ending communalism, removing unemployment, and socioeconomic exploitation, securing the rights of workers and farmers, ensuring the participation of last man in the political process, containing the influence of money in politics, fighting corruption and economic offences and it requires a promise to work in poor bastis. The morcha would not accept donations of more than 1,000 rupees. Its accounts will be audited regularly and be open to public scrutiny. Mr. Ram Dhan will continue as morcha convener till elections are held but there will be elections after a membership drive because that is what we are fighting for, Singh promised. However, till such time Ram Dhan would have the authority to nominate state and district conveners after due consultations.
Article extracted from this publication >> October 9, 1987
