Appeal to ‘vote decisively against anti-poor, communal forces’

By TCN News,

New Delhi: As Delhi goes to polls this 7th February, a number of civil society groups and individuals, comprising academicians, writers, lawyers, rights activists, etc. have issued a joint-statement appealing to “all democratic minded, secular citizens to cast their vote decisively against anti-poor and communal forces.”


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Among others, the joint-statement has been signed by film-maker Anand Patwardhan, writer Dilip Simion, activist Gautam Navlakha, writer Githa Hariharan, writer and activist Harsh Mander, Professor Nandini Sundar, Academic Tanweer Fazal, and activists Aruna Roy, Shambanm Hashmi, Navaid Hamid.



Civil society groups and individuals – academicians, writers, lawyers, rights activists, etc. have appealed “All democratic minded, secular citizens to cast their vote decisively against anti-poor and communal forces” on February 7 for the Delhi assembly polls. (Courtesy: BBC)

While detailing the farce of the BJP’s poll promises and its ‘achievements’ since it came to power in mid-2014, the joint statement appealed to the voters in Delhi, “Vote for a government that will enable everyone to participate as equal citizens. Vote for peace and communal harmony, vote for an inclusive India. Reject those who treat women as child producing factories. Vote for the most formidable party which can defeat the politics of hate, market reforms and VIP culture.”

Text of the Full Statement:

Vote Decisively against Anti-poor, Communal Forces

As Delhi goes to polls this 7th February, we appeal to all democratic minded, secular citizens to cast their vote decisively against anti-poor and communal forces.

The BJP’s poll promise – during the Lok Sabha elections – of retrieving black money and distributing Rs 15 lakhs to all has been exposed to be a cheap publicity stunt. A slew of ordinances (land, coal, mining etc.) and labour and environmental rules have diluted mechanisms meant to protect tribals, land and environment facilitating massive transfer of natural resources and offering sops to corporate houses. Welfarist schemes like MNERGA are being starved of funds and shrunk in size and spread and public sector industries are being divested and privatised. After a 20 per cent cut, our health budget this time is among the lowest in the world, leaving the poorest vulnerable to disease and death.

The inauguration of the new government at the Centre has seen a relentless and corrosive hate campaign: love jihad, ghar wapsi, attacks on churches. Not a day has passed when the storm troopers of the party in power have not attempted to stoke hatred and violence. Public and political discourse has been vitiated beyond recognition. Venomous speeches by members of parliament and leaders – and not some ‘fringe elements’ – have called the bluff of the so-called development plank. RSS Chief declared India to be a Hindu nation, and as if on cue, everyone from Sakshi Maharaj to Sadhvi Prachi exhorted Hindu women to produce more and more children.

In fact, the Hindutva plank, is being stoked up time and again only to promote the corporate agenda, and using the Hate politics to divert people’s attention from Important issues, and during this time, enforcing draconian ordinances that curtail democratic freedom like the Land Acquisition ordinances. In Delhi itself, we have witnessed communal violence and simmering tensions in Bawana and Trilokpuri; Churches have been vandalized perhaps for the first time in the city’s history.

Even in so vitiated an atmosphere, citizens were stunned to see the government advertisements on Republic Day omitting the words “Secular” and “Socialist” from the Preamble of our Constitution. Brazen defence of the advertisement by invoking the ‘original Preamble’ soon degenerated into a call for debate on these words by none other than a Union Minister, while the Shiv Sena called for permanent expunging of secularism and socialism. The BJP government may have retreated for now, but we have certainly got a glimpse into its agenda of tampering with the core values of our Constitution and polity.

Nonetheless, defeat is staring stark in BJP’s face. Money or chopper rallies cannot compensate for its obvious loss of imagination.

Make your vote the final push.

Vote for a government that will enable everyone to participate as equal citizens.

Vote for peace and communal harmony, vote for an inclusive India.

Reject those who treat women as child producing factories.

Vote for the most formidable party which can defeat the politics of hate, market reforms and VIP culture.

Anand Patwardhan, film maker

Anjali Hegde, concerned citizen

Aruna Roy, MKSS

Arundhati Dhuru, NAPM Uttar Pradesh

Asad Zaidi, Publisher

Asha Kowtal, Activist

Ashish Ranjan, Jan Jagran Shakti Sangathan

C R Neelakandan, NAPM Kerala

Dilip Simion, Writer and Historian, Delhi

Gautam Bandopadhyay, Nadi Ghati Morcha, Chattisgarh

Gautam Navlakha, PUDR

Gebriele Dietrich, Pennurium Iyakkum, Madurai

Githa Hariharan, Writer, Author

Hanif Lakdawala, Activist

Harsh Mander, Writer, Author

Himanshu Damle, Researcher

Joe Athialy, New Delhi

Karen Gabriel, Academic

Kedar Mishra, writer and journalist

Kumar Sundaram, Anti Nuclear Activist

Madhuresh Kumar, NAPM Delhi

Mahendra Yadav, Kosi Navnirman Manch, Bihar

Maj Gen S.G.Vombatkere (Retd)

Manisha Sethi, Academic

Mansi Sharma, Activist

Medha Patkar, Narmada Bachao Andolan – NAPM

Meera, Narmada Bachao Andolan

Navaid Hamid Hamid, Secretary, Peoples Integration Council

Nikhil Dey, MKSS

Ovais Sultan Khan, activist

Prakash Kumar, Kachra Kaamgaar Union, Delhi

Prof. Manoranjan Mohanty, Retd. Delhi University

Prof. Nandini Sundar, Academic

Rahul Roy, film maker

Rajendra Ravi, NAPM Delhi

Ram Puniyani, writer, activist

Sanjeev Kumar, Delhi Solidarity Group

Sanjiv Bhatt IPS, Gujarat

Saraswati Kavula, Filmmaker, Hyderabad

Satish Deshpande, Academic

Shabnam Hashmi, Activist

Shankar, MKSS

Shweta Tripathi, Delhi Solidarity Group

Sister Celia, Domestic Workers Union, Karnataka

Sohail Hashmi​, Writer, Film Make

Suhas Kolhekar, NAPM Pune

Sukumar Muralidharn, journalist, writer

Tanweer Fazal, Academic

Vimal Bhai, matu jan Sangathan

Vineet Tiwari, Writer and Poet

Related:

Delhi Assembly Election 2015

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