As political parties prepare their election manifestos and promises, a group of civil society leaders and concerned citizens on Tuesday released a document, Reclaiming the Republic, which they hope will shape the political agenda in the run up to the Lok Sabha poll. Urgent reformsThe group has invited political parties to discuss the document on Friday. Other members include Supreme Court lawyer Prashant Bhushan, Swaraj India president Yogendra Yadav, economists Prabhat Patnaik and Jayati Ghosh, activist and former bureaucrat Harsh Mander, Public Health Foundation of India president K. Srinath Reddy and former West Bengal Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi. “In election season, public discourse is often reduced to mudslinging and seat share calculations,” said Swaraj India president Yogendra Yadav. He pointed out that India’s tax revenue to GDP ratio was only 16% and could be increased.

Source: The Hindu February 05, 2019 19:08 UTC