Letters of Support
Posted in About Mallika, Support Mallika
It is indeed great news that Mallika Sarabhai has taken a very bold decision to contest the forthcoming Lok Sabha election and decide to take on L..K.Advani in Gandhinagar Gujarat.
In a real sense Congress has never fought Hindutva fascism politically or otherwise,infact they too have played soft hindutva card. We need to defend secularism, plurism, democracy and rule of law in India. Mallika Sarabhai is the right candidate to take on L.K.Advani and she needs no introduction.
There is an urgent need to support Mallika Sarabhai in her election campaign and all civil right groups, Human rights organisation, secular groups, NGOs, progressive parties, Intellectuals,writers, activists ,to come forward and support her in her daring endeavour and see that this battle is fought aggressively.
Citizens For Peace, Mumbai
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RALLY BEHIND MALLIKA SARABHAI IN HER FIGHT AGAINST COMMUNAL FASCISM
As you must be aware, Mallika Sarabhai is contesting from the Gandhinagar loksabha seat against the BJP Prime ministerial candidate, L.K. Advani. Ms. Sarabhai’s electoral fight against Mr. Advani assumes utmost political significance because it has become a symbol of struggle between the forces of secular democracy and communal fascism. This is a struggle for pluralist democracy where the religious minorities are respected as equal citizens against the fascist Hindutva ideology of creating a demonic “other” and carrying out pogroms against religious minorities and treating them as second class citizens by undermining a modern liberal democratic society. This goes against the very ethos of our Constitution.
One recoils in horror at the memory of the gory murder, rape and mayhem - the ghastly state sponsored communal carnage in Gujarat in the year 2002. Mr. L.K. Advani as the Home Minister of India and Narendra Modi as the Chief Minister of Gujarat presided over this utterly shameful chapter of post-Independent Indian history.
It is needless to recall Mr. Advani’s role as the prime mover of communalizing the Indian society and imposing fascist Hindutva ideology on toiling workers, peasants and peace loving citizens of our country, thus tearing apart the social fabric of our society, which continues to bleed till today.
L.K. Advani’s infamous Rath Yatra in 1989 spread the communal poison across the length and breadth of the country, polarized the society on religious lines, inflicting a severe blow to the very basis of peaceful, dignified coexistence of various religious groups in a pluralist liberal democratic society undermining the secular democratic foundations of our constitution, which was achieved after numerous sacrifices in our long drawn freedom struggle.
The Rath Yatra of Advani and the resultant communal frenzy culminated in the shameful demolition of Babri Masjid which traumatized the Muslim community and also secular citizens of India. Mr. Advani was present on the spot along with other front-ranking B.J.P. leaders encouraging the lumpen Kar Sevaks when they forcibly brought down the Babri Masjid.
The recent incidents like the horrifying killing of Christians in Kandhmal, the attack on women in Mangalore and other places are frightening indicators of Hindutva ideology led by Mr. Advani. It bears ominous signs of the fascist take over of India if we don’t make the necessary effective intervention to stem this tide of regressive medieval barbarism.
Mr. Advani is the symbol of both communal fascism and patriarchy, which spells doom for religious minorities and women in this country. Therefore it is imperative all of us join hands to defeat the nefarious designs of the Sangh Parivar.
We appeal to all secular, democratic organizations, women, students and youth to actively campaign for Ms. Mallika Sarabhai in her principled electoral battle against Mr. L.K. Advani in Gandhinagar.
(Note : Please endorse this appeal and forward it to your friends and other activist groups.)
1. Vijay Pratap (Convenor Socialist front)
2. Babulal Sharma (Global Gandhi forum)
3. Wilfred - (Insaf. New Delhi)
4. Kiran Shaheen - (Journalist and Political Activist - New Delhi)
5. Faisal Khan - (NAPM - New Delhi)
6. Prakash Kumar Roy (Research scholar, film studies, school of arts and aesthetics New Delhi JNU)
7. Usman (Research scholar, centre for Indian languages school of languages JNU)
8. Rishika Meherishi (Research scholar, school of Art and Aesthetics JNU)
9. P.K. Sundaram (Research scholar school of International studies JNU)
10. Laxman Singh (Research scholar, Third world studies Jamial Milia Islamia, New Delhi)
11. Putul (Social activist, New Delhi)
12. Asit (Activist and researcher New Delhi)
13. Sayantoni (Researcher, New Delhi)
14. Bhuwan Pathak (Social activist, Uttarakhand)
15. Kumar Sameer (Social activist, New Delhi )
16. Anil Pushkar (Research scholar centre for Indian languages, school of language JNU)
17. Ajit Jha (Reader University)
18. Sukla Sen (EKTA, Mumbai)
19. Prem Krishan Sharma, President PUCL, Rajasthan
20. Radha Kant Saxena, vice President, PUCL, Rajasthan
21. Kavita Srivastava, General Secretary, PUCL, Rajasthan
22. DL Tripathi, President, Ajmer district, PUCL, Rajasthan
23. Anant Tripathi, General Secretary, Ajmer District, Rajasthan
24. Prakash Chaturvedi, Secretary, Rajasthan Jan Morcha (Front of Alternative politics in Rajasthan)
25. Than Singh, Chairperson, Rajasthan Jan Morcha
26. Nishat hussein, VP PUCL, Rajasthan
27. Dr. John Dayal (Ex_President catholic Union, New Delhi)
28. Anil Chaudhary (Insaf New Delhi)
29. Piyus Pant (Editor-Lok Samvad, New Delhi)
30. Amit Pokhriyal (Research Scholar, JNU)
31. Aftab Alam (Research Scholar, Centre for Political Studies, JNU)
32. Dr. Anupam Anand (Lecturer, Allahabad University, U.P)
33. Alka Prabhakar (Nari Mukti Sangthan, U.P)
34. D.P Singh (Bihan, Allahabad, U.P)
35. Adiyog (Awaz, Lucknow)
36. Bhan Sahu (Gurmil Morcha, Chattisgarh)
37. Anivar Arvind (Bangalore)
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SOCIALIST UNITY CENTRE OF INDIA
GUJARAT STATE ORGANISING COMMITTEE
206/1 PATEL VAS, MADAL PUR, AHMEDABAD- 380006, Ph-26579962
PRESS RELEASE
To
The Editor,
For Favour of Publication
S.U.C.I. supports Mallikaben Sarabhai from Gandhinagar
Appeals Ensure victory over divisive forces
And defeat ruling parties who advocate development minus human face.
The 15 th. LokSabha Poll is going to take place at a time when a gloomy and dark future stares in the eyes of the millions upon millions of working people as the country . Recession is taking toll of millions of jobs throughout the country. In Gujarat alone about 15 lakh diamond workers have lost their job in one stroke. Less said the better about ruination faced by the peasants of the country, of whom already more than 1,82,000 have painfully embraced suicide as the last resort , including Gujarat.
Rape, Sexual harassment has become a normal affair, Criminalisation, Communalization and Corruption have invaded the all sphere of lives in the State under the BJP rule. Rule of law is a far cry. There is a systematic erosion of value based politics associated with the deterioration of moral and ethics. Congress led Central government and the BJP led government in different states are resorting to all kind of heinous tactics to divide the unity of the people on the basis of caste, religion, region, language, etc. and on the other hand divert people’s anger away from Capitalism, the root cause of all evils.
Under this circumstances it is the call of the hour to turn this election as an instrument of struggle and develop people’s political power and defeat the money - muscle power and the divisive communal and casteist forces and ensure the victory of pro people, pro-democracy , secular and progressive candidates.
Ms. Mallikaben Sarabhai, who played a significant role against Carnage 2002 , is contesting as an independent candidate from Gandhinagar constituency against Mr. L.K.Advani , the Prime Minister in waiting. S.U.C.I. appreciate her concern for the victims of Nandigram, Kandhamal, Mangalore and the farmers of Yavatamal , her commitment to fight for the dignity of women and social justice,. rule of law and democracy in the state. S.U.C.I. supports her and extend full support to ensure her victory. S.U.C.I. also appeals all the progressive, democratic and secular forces, concerned citizens and people to stand by Ms.MallikabenSarabhai & ensure her victory against the communal forces and ruling parties who advocate development minus human face.
Socialist Unity Centre of India would like to reiterate that Mr.Tapan Dasgupta is contesting from Vadodara Lok Sabha Constituency as S.U.C.I’s candidate . More over S.U.C.I.has fielded 40 candidates from 12 states in the country.
Statement Issued by
Dwarika Nath Rath
Secretary,S.U.C.I.
Gujarat State Organising Committee
D-26-3-09
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Friends ,
I am the President PUCL and I feel this election calls for intervention byall people who desire that the country’s integrity should survive democrati norms are preserved and promoted. I am not againt politics and Idonot consider politics a bad word. I have no such contumaciou attitude towads politics. Every society needs to be informedby politics in the absence of which society wouldend up in thewilderness of arbitrariness. Thecoalitions of present day elections is about power sharing and not for progreessing towards theobjectives of the Constitution. The Constitution contains political philosophy which is worth working for and perhaps has the best of liberal values. The country is systematically dried up of its liberal content by our parliamrntary political practices. No institution is fulflling the purposes for whic they were set up. Otherwise we wouldnot have reached the stage when a citizen could think of flinging a chappal at aSupreme Court judge. The only institution that will never be touched is justice system so publicly. This would be so despite politicaldegeneration all around. When this happens we have touched the nadir of our political life since independence. The reversal of this process should be commenced at some point now during this elections.
It should commence in Gujarat , Gandhiji’s Gujarat where in a unilateral assault quite a few thousands were slaughter and Nrendra Modis Rule. I was in the Committee that enquired int the Genocidal violwncw on the hapless Muslim Minority. I heard the members who had gatheredin the compound of Gulberg Society the Memberof Parliament of Parliament came out with folded hands appealed to the hooligans who were on a killing spree with a request that the people gathered taking shelter the Hooligans cut him to peices and later the others This was that great man was Ahsan Jaffri.. He went on a long march though riot ridden Naokhali during partition days and this same Gandhi Led the Salt Satya graha called the Dandi March that stunned the British and all the intelligence reports that predicted failure of the March. Gandhi was not one of those whocollected lorry loads and brought them to the meeting place. The issues Gandhiji took up brought the crowds to his meeting.
Today in that place Narendra Modi presided over the genocidal carnage on the threshold of the 21 century heading the state though unfit to occupy the position he hold unde the Constitution. Wehave a government which hardly pays lip service to value of the struggle for independence, which in fact written dow as a fundamenta duty. Naredra Modi’s government -how can expect it to have respect for the cocept of ‘fraternity’, which is totally rejected by the BJP AS AN OBJECTIVE AND A FUNDAMENTAL DUTY under the Constitution.
The contest between Mallika Sarabai and Lal Kishan Advani is a contest between Gandhiji and Godse. Mallika Sarabai is the supporter of the people about whom Gandhji talked abiut judge Brioomfield when he told the judge that he cannot have anthing but dissaffection to a Government which has no concer for the suffering and toiling millions in the country. She begins her political career to revive the Gandhi legacy. The Congress appropriated Gandhi as political raw material and Godse killed and passed on tthat legacy to BJP who continue the legacy by launching attacks on the basis of their antediluvian theses that chritians and muslims are invader and so should stay subjugated to the majority. The fight is for promotingthe concept o fraternityand thus preseving the integrity of the country. It is a contest all securminded democrats should support Mallika. She may start as an independent but will definitely gather likeminded intellectuals.
K.G. KANNABIRAN
National President, PUCL
Plot 300, Street 6, E. Marredpalli
Secunderabad 500 026, AP
Phone: 040-27730632
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“We support the candidature of Ms Mallika Sarabhai, distinguished danseuse of international renown, for the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections from Gandhinagar, Gujarat . Ms Sarabhai hails from the area, and enjoys considerable reputation among the artistic and cultural fraternity as well as ordinary citizens there. What is more significant, she has waged a spirited and consistent struggle on various fronts— judicial, social, cultural, political— against the forces of communalism and majoritarian extremism in the State since post-Godhara Gujarat carnage in March 2002. Pitted against BJP leader L. K. Advani, Ms Sarabhai, we are confident, will, if elected, uphold the secular and democratic principle as enshrined in our Constitution. We believe that persons like Ms Sarabhai should be elected in large numbers to the Lok Sabha as they have much to contribute to Parliament and the country in terms of reinforcing our pluralistic ethos and ameliorating the conditions of the poor and the marginalised who contribute the teeming millions of our nation and represent the asli Bharat (real India)”
Signed:
Justice V. R. Krishna Iyer (Former Judge, Supreme Court of India), D. Bandyopadhyay (Former Secretary, Revenue, Government of India), Surendra Mohan (President, Secular Janta Dal), Prof. S. M. Dubey (Former Vice-chancellor, North Eastern Hill University, Shillong), Prof. Anant Kumar (Professor of Sociology, JNU, New Delhi), Prof. Arun Kumar (Professor of Economics, JNU, New Delhi), Vijay Pratap (National Convenor, Socialist Front), Praful Bidwai (Columnist), Anil Nauriya (Advocate, Supreme Court of India), Sumit Chakravartty (Journalist, editor, Mainstream), Suhas Borkar (Indecent film-maker and social activist).
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