Today at a press conference in Ahmedabad, Gujarat addressed by : Lalji Desai ( Jameen Adhikar Andolan – Gujarat (JAAG)), Indu Kumar Jani ( Editor Naya Marg), Rajnibhai Dave(Editor Bhoomiputra), Gagan Sethi (Janvikas) , Manan Trivedi ( Anhad) and Shabnam Hashmi JANVADI VICHAR ANDOLAN, BHARAT ( JAVAB) was announced. ANNOUNCING JANVADI VICHAR ANDOLAN, BHARAT ( JAVAB) A National Campaign for Secularism Defeat Communal Forces in 2014 General Elections The general elections are but a few months away. Many of us have been working for years in the field of human rights, health, water rights, land rights, Dalit/Adivasi rights, women’s issues, civil rights. Many of us are writers, academics, teachers, students, activists. While we may think of our work as deeply political, we have not been engaged directly in politics, or at least electoral politics. 2014, however is different. The danger of communalism is imminent. The portends are dark already. As we inch closer to the elections, the façade of development talk is forgotten and an unabashed Hindutva agenda begins to unfold. Uttar Pradesh is the best illustration of this. As has been said by election watchers, political analysts and commentators, the fate of the avowedly communal political force, the Bharatiya Janata Party, is tied to its electoral fortunes in the state of UP. The arrival of Amit Shah last year as the BJP’s UP in charge coincided with the heralding of the old style communal propaganda. These are again – as earlier – matched by their real ability to foment violence, engineer riots, and drive vulnerable minority groups out of their homes and villages. Muzafarnagar burnt. But the entire belt of Western Uttar Pradesh remains on edge, the traditional unity between Jats and Muslims fractured because of cynical political calculations. The success in Muzafarnagar may be attempted to be replicated elsewhere. As communal polarization becomes the sole guarantee of electoral success, tensions will be deliberately infused in places, which have witnessed communal peace and harmony in the past. In such a scenario, we are experiencing a restlessness and anxiety. We feel that we need to intervene urgently to the best of our ability to ensure the defeat of communal forces. Indeed, the danger is far greater than simply the threat of communal takeover. The manner in which activists have been targeted by registration of vindictive FIRs for pursuing the legal process in the case of 2002 pogrom; the muzzling of all dissent, provides a glimpse into the authoritarian vision of this communal force. Indeed, the very existence of liberal, democratic and secular consciousness seems to be under assault. Activists, academics, artists, writers and social workers are coming together to form a National Platform for Secularism called JANVADI VICHAR ANDOLAN, BHARAT ( JAVAB) with the twin agendas of countering communal forces in the forthcoming elections and advocating for a truly inclusive society, politics and economics. This Platform will be guided by the sensibilities forged in our collective struggles for dignity of dalits, the rights of Adivasis and other marginalised communities (pastoralists, fisherfolk, landless wage labour, informal and casual labourers), gender justice, the battles of the working class, increasingly fissured and invisibilized; mobilizations for a more equitable and sustainable development, environmental movements, as well as the democratic aspirations of peoples everywhere in the country. While we are not aligning with any particular party, it will be our effort to appeal to all secular forces to ensure that the anti-communal vote does not splinter. But more than that this, the platform will work in some select constituencies to repel any communal polarization through its grass roots campaigns and meetings right up till the elections. Many people from across India have already endorsed this platform. Over the next ten days we will be contacting individuals and groups across India to join us. We will release the addresses of offices across India by January 30 and have a website functioning so that people can join the platform. This platform will have local branches in select constituencies. The local committees will conduct door to door campaigns, hold aman panchayats, foster dialogue between communities, ensure that people’s issues remain at the centre of the election campaign, and be vigilant against any communal-fascist propaganda. We are calling upon all democratic and secular citizens, groups and networks to join this Platform. Aban Raza, painter, Delhi Aisha Siddqui, Lucknow Amit Sengupta, journalist, Delhi Anand Patwardhan, Film maker Asad Ashraf, Jamia Students Solidarity Forum, Delhi Asad Zaidi, publisher, Delhi Bhavana Ramrakhiani, Convenor, Ahmedabad Community Foundation Bhavna Sharma, service, Delhi Deepti Raju, senior activist, Ahmedabad Dr Harshvardhan Hegde, surgeon, Delhi Dr. Dilip Borah, Gauhati University, President Assam Sahitya Sanmilanee Dr. Indrajeet Bezbaruah, Lumding College. Writer, Social activist. Dr. Sabeeha Anwar Dr. Subash Barman, Secretary, Assam college Teachers, Association, Goalpara Dr.Monirul Hussain,Gauhati university Emanuk Haque, Secretary, Bhasha o Chetana Samity, West Bengal Gaurang Raval, Sauhard, Ahmedabad Hafiz Ahmed, Convener, All India Secular Forum, Assam. Harinesh Pandya, Janpath, Ahmedabad Harsh Kapoor, South Asia Web Indukumar Jani, Journalist, Editor Naya Marg, and senior activist, Ahmedabad John Dayal, Catholic Union Kedar Misra, writer, poet, Orissa KN Panikkar, Historian, Kerala Lalji Desai, senior activist, Ahmedabad Madhumita Ray, activist, Orissa Mahesh Bhatt, Film director Manan Trivedi, activist Manisha Sethi, academic, activist, JTSA Manisha Trivedi, ANHAD Mansi Sharma, activist, Delhi Mohan Rao, Academic, Delhi Mohd Aamir, Anhad Mona Das, Academic, Delhi Muniza Khan, Lucknow Nandita Narain, Associate Professor, Dept of Maths, St. Stephens College. Naresh Saxena , Lucknow Navaid Hamid, Secretary Peoples Integration Council Noorjehan Safia Niaz-BMMA, Mumbai Pankti Jog, RTI activist, Ahmedabad Persis Ginwalla, social activist, Ahmedabad Pralayan Shanmuga Sundaram - theatre actor, director, Chennai Prof Rooprekha Verma, Saajhi Duniya, Lucknow Prof. Mohini Manglik, Lucknow Prof. Ram Puniyani, writer, activist, Mumbai Rajnibhai Dave, Editor Bhoomiputra and senior activist, Ahmedabad Rahul Govind, Academic, Delhi Raju Deepti, senior activist, Ahmedabad Rakesh, Lucknow Sagar Rabari, senior activist, Ahmedabad Sahir Raza, cinematographer, Mumbai Sanghamitra Misra, Academic, Delhi Seema Mustafa, journalist Shabnam Hashmi, activist Sohail Hashmi, film maker Sukumar Muralidharan, journalist Suman Bhattacharyaya, media professional, Kolkata Tanveer Nasreen, Associate Professor History, Kolkata Tanvi Soni, activist, Gujarat Tanweer Fazal, Academic, Delhi Tarique Anwar , journalist, Delhi Vijay Bharatiya, Vivan Sundaram, artist, Delhi Zakia Soman-BMMA
Posted on: Sun, 19 Jan 2014 13:31:53 +0000