"Deep concern" over rapidly changing socio-political atmosphere after coming to power of majoritarian government in India

The all India Milli Council, which held its national convention on July 30, at Talkatora Stadium, came up with the following resolution:
At a time when there are counter efforts to mar the Indian Constitution’s basic components like pluralism, diversity, equality, justice and tolerance and those responsible for this feel sure that nothing would happen to them as if they have got sanction from the highest authorities in the government, the Constitution faces threats to its very existence. This extraordinary situation has perturbed the citizens of the country.
Realising the concerns of the citizens, All India Milli Council (AIMC) has called the national convention “Save the Constitution and Build the Nation” so that the issue is pondered over in detail and remedies are suggested. Following is the resolution passed by the national convention held at Talkatora Stadium, New Delhi on July 30, 2017.
1. This gathering demands a total ban on hate speech which is against our ethos and the constitution. We demand stringent action against those who deliver hate speech and also those who support and condone such speeches.

JDU leader Sharad Yadav

2. The All India Milli Council (AIMC) expresses deep concern over the rapidly changing social and political atmosphere after coming to power of a majoritarian government in the country, posing threats to the democratic spirit and basic values of the constitution. We keenly feel that it need a strong movement to address this issue.
3. The AIMC calls upon every citizen to join “Save the Constitution and Build the Nation” movement.
4. The AIMC deplores the growing negative trend among voters that communal crimes pay poll dividends and finding that over 50 politicians holding elected office in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies face charges in criminal cases related to inciting religious violence or stoking communal hatred as revealed by a recent analysis of 50,324 candidates by English daily Hindustan Times.
5. The AIMC urges the government to take special measures and devise a separate law to stop the cases of lynching of minorities and Dalits on the pretext of protecting the cow and other related incidents continuing even after the condemnation of the hate crimes by the Prime Minister and his cabinet colleagues.

Activist Teesta Setalvad

6. The AIMC demands from the government to constitute a judicial commission to look into the cases of innocent Muslim youth arrested in the name of terrorism, particularly since 2001 and take special steps to rehabilitate them
with dignity, and devise separate laws to punish police officials who have arrested them on false charges.
7. The AIMC feels that there exists a fear psychosis in citizens, particularly the minorities, dalits and other weaker sections of the society since the Modi government took over and adopted authoritarian ways, ignoring the democratic order and therefore, asks the ruling coalition to instill confidence and trust in them.
8. The AIMC condemns the enhanced attacks on the religious places, including mosques, graveyards and other waqf properties and demands urgent steps for saving them.
9. The AIMC demands better care of government minority institutions, including National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions (NCMEI) which are in bad shape, and also urges to appoint the chairperson of the NCMEI which remained vacant since Justice Suhail Ejaz Siddiqui demitted office in December 2014. This need further attention of the government in view of Delhi High Court directions on July 9, 2017.

Congress leader Mani Shankar Iyer

10. The AIMC demands from the central government to categorically reject the recommendations of the RSS-affiliated Shiksha Sanskriti Utthan Nyas (SSUN) headed by Dina Nath Batra to the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) to keep legendary Urdu poet Mirza Ghalib’s couplet and Urdu words from school texts.
11. The AIMC feels that although there is no official censorship on the press, it is under pressure and the media as a whole faces threats to its freedom whose recent victim is "Economic and Political Weekly" Editor Paranjoy Guha Thakurta, besides, organised attacks on media persons carried out by the rightist hoodlums. Therefore, the AIMC demands from the government to take effective measures in this connection.

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Counterview Desk
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