PMO "tries to stop" civil society meet held in Gujarat Vidyapeeth to discuss erosion of Gandhian values

Justice Kurian Joseph, Gagan Sethi

By A Representative
Did the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) try to stop a pre-arranged civil society meet at Gujarat University, founded by Mahatma Gandhi, held on the occasion of the 89th anniversary of Dandi march to highlight the importance of nonviolence at a time when the country is allegedly facing violent religious and caste divisions?
Organised by Delhi-based civil rights body India Inclusive, and called India Unites Convention on Nonviolence and Harmony, well-known human rights activist Shabnam Hashmi told the meet even as it was about to begin, "PMO rang up to say this meeting should not happen. It is not known what is there to be afraid of from such a small gathering." Hashmi named one of the organisers of the meet as the source of information about PMO.
Speaking on the occasion, former Supreme Court judge Kurian Joseph regretted sharp erosion of values for which Gandhi stood for -- unity in diversity. Also pointing towards lack of respect for constitution, democracy and freedom of expression, he asserted that these are "critical moments" even for the Supreme Court, whose "independence is at stake."
Gagan Sethi, who heads well-known Gujarat-based non-profit organisation Janvikas, came down heavily on the civil society, saying, most of the voluntary organisations have become spineless non-government organizations -- doing only that work which government may not be interested in doing.
Asking civil society to learn from Gandhi, who encouraged voluntarily work, Sethi said, the focus should be on satyagraha. There should be sovereignty of the Constitution, not this or that religion, particularly when institutional violence is killing democracy, and the idea of India is being undermined.
Those who spoke on the occasion included former Planning Commission member Sayeda Hamid, Air Marshal (retired) Veer Narayan, senior editor with "The Wire" Arfa Khanum Sherwani, independent journalist Bhasha Singh, Gujarat-based Jesuit human rights activist Father Cedric Prakash and economist Hemant Shah.

Arrival of USS Lincoln: A ‘leisure trip’ to Thailand or a neo-colonial move to commodify women?

By Benyasiri Eimviriyapong The arrival of the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) for a ‘leisure trip’ in Thailand before returning to its campaign of destruction against the people of West Asia demands immediate interrogation and opposition. For us Thai people, and those in sites of American plunder across the globe, this a rattling of the US’ cold war colonial chains on its most loyal lap dog, while conducting a war of aggression in Iran and the ongoing genocide in Palestine. In allowing the USS Lincoln to dock, the Thai ruling elites are once again facilitating a system of imperial violence that extends far beyond Southeast Asian borders, a system which in our case, is predicated on sexual violence and femicide.

Global financial institutions 'ignored' climate warnings in Nepal’s hydropower disaster: SANDRP probe

Counterview News A catastrophic flood disaster across Nepal’s Himalayan river valleys has triggered urgent international scrutiny over the role of multilateral lenders and development finance institutions. According to an extensive investigation published by the South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People (SANDRP), international financiers—including the World Bank Group’s International Finance Corporation (IFC), the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), and the Export-Import Bank of China —pushed forward major hydropower projects in disaster-prone valleys despite documented warnings, recurring historical floods, and unheeded safety recommendations.

Pilgrimage or pollution? The waste crisis of Indian faith

By Raj Kumar Sinha* In today's times, there are certain issues that are constantly talked about and discussed, yet no visible impact seems to be made. Beyond water, soil, and pollution, one crisis that continues to be overlooked is waste. Like other life-threatening problems, waste too is gradually moving toward burying and obliterating us. After the Kanwar Yatra in Haridwar, approximately 8,000 tonnes of waste were left behind on the riverbanks, including bottles filled with urine.

Counterview

Search This Blog