[Reader-list] DRAFT JOINT STATEMENT ON ATROCITIES ON CULTURAL ACTIVISTS AND DALITS. for endorsement

[Asit Das]

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*DRAFT JOINT STATEMENT ON ATROCITIES  ON CULTURAL ACTIVISTS AND DALITS.*

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We the undersigned are extremely appalled and outraged by the arrest of
Kanwal Bharti eminent Dalit writer for his comments on Face book. If one
looks seriously at the banner headlines of the Corporate media, the Indian
ruling classes have being the new economic power house of the world and
being the largest democracy. Various clauses of the Indian constitution
guarantees the fundamental rights of its citizens ie right to expression,
right to choose ones cultural and political views. The pretensions of the
Indian state about it being a liberal democracy has proved to be a total
mockery of the very meaning of the words like liberalism, democracy and
rule of law. Since the past six decades under draconian laws like AFPSA,
UAPA, National security act etc. Tens of thousands of people have died in
face encounters, thousands of youth have vanished from Kashmir and Punjab.
There are genocides happening on the struggling people of oppressed
Nationalities, thousands are tortured, there are thousand of unknown mass
graves in Kashmir. Thousand of woman are raped, tortured and killed in
police custody. When it comes to writers and cultural activists the Indian
state has always bared its fascist and castist fangs again and again. There
glaring examples are the false prosecution of the members of Kabir Kala
Manch, (Eminent Revolutionary Balladeer Ghadar who is a living legend in
the revolutionary peasant resistance struggle was shot fatally by Andhra
Police some years ago, and had to be hospitalized for months. Jiten Marandi
an eminent radical cultural activist from Jharkhand was jailed for years on
trumped up false criminal charges. Progressive poet and writer Savyasachi
Goswami is still languishing in Jail on false criminal charges, and the
ruthless murder of comrade Gantiprasadam of RDF who was a famous
revolutionary writer. The above facts prove that dalit writers and cultural
activists are ruthlessly oppresses and persecuted by the Indian state. In
this context one has to look seriously at the dialectics of the rise of
identity politics in Indian via the Mandal and Kamandal debate. The rise if
identity politics in late 80’s and early 90’s which has created an
opportunity for the rise of a thin strata of OBC kulaks, who join hands
with upper caste landlords to commit atrocities on Dalits. The Vanniyar
Sangham hooliganism clearly proves this. However one has to look at the
identity question in a dialectical prism.**

There are identities and identities some are oppressed some are oppressors.
We  should discern the democratic content of the identity struggles we
should firmly stand with the oppressed identities. History has shown it is
only the oppresses can break their own chains.  We appeal to the left and
democratic organizations, and the progressive intelligentia to join hands
and fight together against the right to expression and atrocities on
Dalits.

The very logic of Predatory Neoliberalism accentuates the class
differentiation within the endogamous caste group further creating class
polarization and exploitation. On one hand it pauperizes vast masses of
Dalits, OBC’s pasmanda muslims on the other hand a handful of minorities
rich peasantry and the kulaks elements of the OBC’s join hand with upper
caste land lords to perpetuate atrocities. With the rise of identify
politics in late eighties and early nineties especially in Uttar Pradesh
and Bihar these elements have become the subsidiary part of the Indian
Ruling Classes. We draw attention of another danger in contemporary
Identity discourse, the rise of Slogans like Dalit Capitalism and formation
of neoliberal clubs like DICCI, its ideologues conveniently forget the fact
that 90% of the super exploited agricultural labourers are predominantly
dalits and the dalit female agricultural laboures are also sexually
exploited.

These stooges of wall street simply over look the fact that under the
Neoliberal regime it’s the Dalits, Adivasis, Poor OBC’s and Muslims form
that vast mass of Super exploited mobile insecure “foot loose labour” which
forms a bulk of the contractual, informal workers in the post fordist
production relations and labour process. Therefore this dubious notion of
Dalit capitalism is an albatross in the neck of every exploited Dalit.

1.      We demand the withdrawal of all criminal cases on Jiten Marandi,
Aparna Marandi, Savyasachi Goswami, Members of Kabir Kala Manch and Kanwal
Bharti.

2.      We demand a high level judicial enquiry on the murder of Com Ganti
Prasadam and the resignation of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister for this
tragedy.

3.      We demand Mulayam Singh Yadav and Akhilesh Yadav apologise to the
Dalits of this country



1.      1. Arjun Prasad Singh                   PDFI

2.      2. Prof. Uma Chakravarty             Women Against Sexual Violence
(WSS)

3.      3. Anand Teltumbde                     CPDR, Mumbai

4.      Kiran Shaheen                               (WSS)

5.      Shiv Sethi                                      SANHATI, Bangalore

6.      Subhash Gatade                            Convenor, New Socialist
Initiative

7.      Anirban Kar                                  SANHATI, Delhi Chapter

8.      Students for Resistance                Delhi University and JNU

9.      Swati Birla                                    SANHATI, Mumbai and
State Representive (WSS)

10.  Mahtab Alam                                Civil Rights activist, Delhi

11.  P.K. Sundram                               Research Scholar, JNU

12.  Usman                                           Research Scholar, JNU

13.  Mayur Chetia                                Research Scholar, JNU

14.  Kaveri Rajaraman                         SANHATI, Bangalore

15.  Nayan Jyoti                                   Krantikari Naw Jawan
Sabha (K.N.S.)

16.  Rakesh Ranjan                              Nowroz, Delhi

17.  Asit Das                                        Contributing editor,
India resists.com

18.  Imran                                             Potential and
Powerful Research Scholar in Hindi literature

                                                      and firm and
committed activist of Radical left.

19.  Wilfred D’costa                            INSAF

20.  Pravin                                            NSI, Delhi

21.  Vivek Sunder                                Human Right Activist Mumbai

22.  Vira Sathidar                                 Republican Panthers

23.  C. Laxmanan                                 Dalit Intellectual
Collective, Chennai

24.  Shirisha Naidu                              SANHATI, Chennai

25.  Rita Jyoti Bandopadhaya             Assistant Professor in History
CSSS, Kolkata

26.  Virbharat Talwar                           Professor CIL, JNU

27.  Kamayani Bali Mahabal                Social Activist, Mumbai

28.  Sumit Chakrabarty                        People together Kolkata

29.  Nisha Biswas                                WSS

30.  Sudha Reddy                                Social Activist, Bangalore.





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