Aam Aadmi Party takes back suspended Gujarat convener to "revamp" organization, make it viable alternative to BJP

By A Representative
Well-known Gujarat child rights activist Sukhdev Patel, who was suspended from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in 2015, has rejoined the party in an "attempt" to revamp it. Founder of Gantar, an NGO devoted to child rights, Patel decided made his debut into politics in 2012-end, ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.
Appointed convener of AAP, Patel brought with him several Gujarat activists to the party. However, internal bickering forced him out of the party three years later. Khadi wearing and known to be having a Gandhian bent of mind with deep understanding of Gujarati society, Patel decided not to leave politics on being suspended from the party.
Patel joined AAP ahead of the party’s announcement to officially kick-start its campaign for the Gujarat assembly elections, slated for December with an “azadi” rally by Arvind Kejriwal in state capital Gandhinagar on March 26.
Addressing newspersons, AAP leader Gopal Rai, in charge of the party's poll organisation in Gujarat, said the party would organise 'azadi' rallies in all 182 constituencies starting on March 16, which will culminate with rally addressed by Kejriwal on March 26 rally.
“We want people to be free of the fear of (BJP President) Amit Shah's gang and that of the BJP government in Gujarat," Rai said, announcing that party volunteers will collect memorandums of demand from all the constituencies to be handed over to Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani.
Founding a small political group called Sushan (good governance) Party after he left AAP, Patel told me, not just he, but the entire group of activists will join AAP. “Our party had still not been registered. We held a meeting and decided to rejuvenate AAP in Gujarat”, he said, "Our Sushan organization will continue as a political NGO."
Amidst reports that he would be part of the party’s manifesto committee, asked what role he has been given, and whether he would become its Gujarat convener again, Patel said, “I am an ordinary member right now. I will work and revive the organization, which is in a dormant state in Gujarat.”
“AAP’s main aim would be create an atmosphere against the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Gujarat”, Patel said, adding, “We may not win the elections right now, but we aim to become a formidable force in the December assembly polls.”
Calling Congress policies “disastrous” and “politically suicidal”, Patel, who is known to be close to Gujarat's Jay Prakash Narain group, particularly took exception to senior Congress leader Shaktisinh Gohil’s recent “offer” to Patels to provide 10% reservation if it came to power.
“This type of statement is only vitiating the political atmosphere in Gujarat”, he said, ruling out any truck with the Congress ahead of the assembly polls. “We know that Congress cannot win. It has no chances. The polls will give us an opportunity to become an alternative force”, he said.
Known to be close to a large number of civil rights and grassroots activists in Gujarat, it is not known if they would join Patel again. According sources close to him, during negotiations with AAP leadership to rejoin the party, some senior activists, too, were consulted.

Comments

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

Jayanthi Natarajan "never stood by tribals' rights" in MNC Vedanta's move to mine Niyamigiri Hills in Odisha

By A Representative The Odisha Chapter of the Campaign for Survival and Dignity (CSD), which played a vital role in the struggle for the enactment of historic Forest Rights Act, 2006 has blamed former Union environment minister Jaynaynthi Natarjan for failing to play any vital role to defend the tribals' rights in the forest areas during her tenure under the former UPA government. Countering her recent statement that she rejected environmental clearance to Vendanta, the top UK-based NMC, despite tremendous pressure from her colleagues in Cabinet and huge criticism from industry, and the claim that her decision was “upheld by the Supreme Court”, the CSD said this is simply not true, and actually she "disrespected" FRA.

Urgent need to study cause of large number of natural deaths in Gulf countries

By Venkatesh Nayak* According to data tabled in Parliament in April 2018, there are 87.76 lakh (8.77 million) Indians in six Gulf countries, namely Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). While replying to an Unstarred Question (#6091) raised in the Lok Sabha, the Union Minister of State for External Affairs said, during the first half of this financial year alone (between April-September 2018), blue-collared Indian workers in these countries had remitted USD 33.47 Billion back home. Not much is known about the human cost of such earnings which swell up the country’s forex reserves quietly. My recent RTI intervention and research of proceedings in Parliament has revealed that between 2012 and mid-2018 more than 24,570 Indian Workers died in these Gulf countries. This works out to an average of more than 10 deaths per day. For every US$ 1 Billion they remitted to India during the same period there were at least 117 deaths of Indian Workers in Gulf ...

Stands 'exposed': Cavalier attitude towards rushed construction of Char Dham project

By Bharat Dogra* The nation heaved a big sigh of relief when the 41 workers trapped in the under-construction Silkyara-Barkot tunnel (Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand) were finally rescued on November 28 after a 17-day rescue effort. All those involved in the rescue effort deserve a big thanks of the entire country. The government deserves appreciation for providing all-round support.

Uttarakhand tunnel disaster: 'Question mark' on rescue plan, appraisal, construction

By Bhim Singh Rawat* As many as 40 workers were trapped inside Barkot-Silkyara tunnel in Uttarkashi after a portion of the 4.5 km long, supposedly completed portion of the tunnel, collapsed early morning on Sunday, Nov 12, 2023. The incident has once again raised several questions over negligence in planning, appraisal and construction, absence of emergency rescue plan, violations of labour laws and environmental norms resulting in this avoidable accident.

Celebrating 125 yr old legacy of healthcare work of missionaries

Vilas Shende, director, Mure Memorial Hospital By Moin Qazi* Central India has been one of the most fertile belts for several unique experiments undertaken by missionaries in the field of education and healthcare. The result is a network of several well-known schools, colleges and hospitals that have woven themselves into the social landscape of the region. They have also become a byword for quality and affordable services delivered to all sections of the society. These institutions are characterised by committed and compassionate staff driven by the selfless pursuit of improving the well-being of society. This is the reason why the region has nursed and nurtured so many eminent people who occupy high positions in varied fields across the country as well as beyond. One of the fruits of this legacy is a more than century old iconic hospital that nestles in the heart of Nagpur city. Named as Mure Memorial Hospital after a British warrior who lost his life in a war while defending his cou...

New RTI draft rules inspired by citizen-unfriendly, overtly bureaucratic approach

By Venkatesh Nayak* The Department of Personnel and Training , Government of India has invited comments on a new set of Draft Rules (available in English only) to implement The Right to Information Act, 2005 . The RTI Rules were last amended in 2012 after a long period of consultation with various stakeholders. The Government’s move to put the draft RTI Rules out for people’s comments and suggestions for change is a welcome continuation of the tradition of public consultation. Positive aspects of the Draft RTI Rules While 60-65% of the Draft RTI Rules repeat the content of the 2012 RTI Rules, some new aspects deserve appreciation as they clarify the manner of implementation of key provisions of the RTI Act. These are: Provisions for dealing with non-compliance of the orders and directives of the Central Information Commission (CIC) by public authorities- this was missing in the 2012 RTI Rules. Non-compliance is increasingly becoming a major problem- two of my non-compliance cases are...

Dowry over duty: How material greed shattered a seven-year bond

By Archana Kumar* This account does not seek to expose names or tarnish identities. Its purpose is not to cast blame, but to articulate—with dignity—the silent suffering of a woman who lived her life anchored in love, trust, and duty, only to be ultimately abandoned.

Pairing not with law but with perpetrators: Pavlovian response to lynchings in India

By Vikash Narain Rai* Lynch-law owes its name to James Lynch, the legendary Warden of Galway, Ireland, who tried, condemned and executed his own son in 1493 for defrauding and killing strangers. But, today, what kind of a person will justify the lynching for any reason whatsoever? Will perhaps resemble the proverbial ‘wrong man to meet at wrong road at night!’

Search This Blog