[Reader-list] Appeal for Mallika Sarabhai

[Asit asitreds]

*APPEAL*





*RALLY BEHIND MALLIKA SARABHAI IN HER FIGHT AGAINST COMMUNAL FASCISM*







As you must be aware Mallika Sarabhai is contesting from the Gandhi Nagar
loksabha seat against BJPs Prime ministerial candidate, L.K. Advani.  Ms.
Sarabhai's electoral fight against Mr. Advani assumes utmost political
significant because it has become a symbol of struggle between the forces of
secular democracy versus 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 in a modern liberal democratic society. This goes
against the very ethos of our constitution.





One recoils in horror about the memory of the gory episodes of murder, rape
and mayhem of the ghastly state sponsored communal carnage in Gujrat in the
year 2002.  Mr. L.K. Advani as the Home Minister of India and Narendra Modi
as the Chief Minister of Gujrat presided over this most 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
until today.



L.K. Advani's infamous RathYatra in 1989 spread the communal poison across
the length and breadth of the country, polarized the society on religious
lines, inflicting a severe blow on 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 Rathyatra of Advani and the resultant communal frenzy culminated in the
shameful demolition  of Babri Masjid which has traumatized the Muslim
community and secular citizens for a long time.  Mr. Advani was present on
the spot along with other B.J.P. leadership 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 regressing in to 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 the secular, democratic, organization, womens,
organizations, students and youth to actively campaign for Ms. Mallika
Sarabhai against her principled electoral battle against Mr. L.K. Advani in
Gandhi Nagar.



(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 Politicl activist - New Delhi)

5.         Faisal Khan - (NAPM - New Delhi)

6.         Prakash Kumar Ray (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, Delhi University)

18.       Amit Pokhriyal (Research scholar centre for science policy JNU)

19.       Aftab Alam (Research scholar centre for political studies JNU)