Govt offer on farm laws not in good faith: Diaspora groups submit letter to embassies

London diaspora protest

By Our Representative
In a memorandum submitted to Indian embassies, mainly across Europe, several Indian diaspora groups have demanded repeal of the three farm laws, calling them “unjust.” In their statement, they said, the Indian farmers have been protesting since the three laws as these were passed “hurriedly in August 2020 without holding consultations with the farmers’ groups.”
The memorandum said, “The local farmers’ opposition protests moved to the Capital Region, Delhi, around November 26, 2020 for a nationwide general strike but were met with frequent provocation by police: Highways were dug out to prevent the farmers’ movement to Delhi, and protestors were fired at with water cannons and tear gas.”
It said, “Despite being treated badly and battling the cold weather in Delhi, farmer groups including aged persons and families with children are still staying at the Delhi border”, adding, the diaspora extends its “solidarity to the farmers in their struggle for justice” and expresses “distress about the corporatization of agriculture, threat to democracy and the sidestepping of core constitutional mechanisms by the Indian government while passing the three laws.”
The memorandum said, “The diaspora laments the prolongation of the negotiations between farmers and elected officials, and assesses that the government's proposals have not been made in good faith. On January 20, 2021, the government agreed to suspend the laws temporarily and focus on consultations, although not taking the step to repeal them entirely.”
It added, “Farmers have declared their intention to hold a peaceful protest outside Delhi on January 26, 2021, India's Republic Day, and are determined to fight these unilateral neoliberal Acts of the government which provide no effective remedy against the deteriorating rights of farmers in India.”
The memorandum -- recalling that members of parliament of the United Kingdom and Australia, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as well as other political actors worldwide, have criticised the farm laws and raised concerns about the manner in which the government has responded to the protesting farmers -- demands repeal of the three laws, guarantee minimum support price for all agricultural produce, implementation of the findings of the Swaminathan Commission, and convening of an exclusive parliamentary session to resolve all outstanding grievances of farmers.
The European groups that signed the memorandum include Indian Alliance Paris, Liberal Indians France, Indian Solidarity Finland, Indian Solidarity Sweden, India Solidarity Germany, Indian Resistance Network Norway, Collective Against Violation and Abuse of Civil and Human Rights (CAVACH), EU Liberal Indians Amsterdam Chapter, International Network of Democratic Indians Abroad UK, he European International Solidarity for Academic Freedom In India (InSAF), and Scottish Indians for Justice Scotland.
Organisations from other countries are: Crescent Hub Kuwait, Canadians Against Oppression & Persecution (CAOP), Voices Against Fascism in India and the Progressive India Collective (USA), New Zealanders United To Save The Indian Constitution, t and the Humanism Project, Australia.

Comments

Anonymous said…

The lack of trust between this government and any body of people is palpable. It is not without reason. Why should the government behave differently with the farmers. It is their DNA. It is available in their comments in public and their IT Cell stories

January 25, 2021

'Enough evidence' in Indian tradition to support legal basis for same-sex marriage

By Iyce Malhotra, Joseph Mathai, Sandeep Chachra* The ongoing hearing in the Supreme Court on same-sex marriage provides space for much-needed conversations on issues that have hitherto remained “invisible” or engaged with patriarchal locker room humour. We must recognize that people with diverse sexualities and complex gender identities have faced discrimination, stigma and decades of oppression. Their issues have mainly remained buried in dominant social discourse, and many view them with deep insecurities.

Buddhist shrines were 'massively destroyed' by Brahmanical rulers: Historian DN Jha

Nalanda mahavihara By Our Representative Prominent historian DN Jha, an expert in India's ancient and medieval past, in his new book , "Against the Grain: Notes on Identity, Intolerance and History", in a sharp critique of "Hindutva ideologues", who look at the ancient period of Indian history as "a golden age marked by social harmony, devoid of any religious violence", has said, "Demolition and desecration of rival religious establishments, and the appropriation of their idols, was not uncommon in India before the advent of Islam".

Victim of communal violence, Christians in Manipur want Church leadership to speak up

By Fr Cedric Prakash SJ* The first eleven days of May 2023 have, in many ways, been a defining period of Indian history! Plenty has happened in a rapid-fire stream of events. Ironically, each one of them are indicators of how crimes and the criminalisation of society has become the ‘new norm’; these include, the May Day rallies with a focus on the four labour codes which are patently against the rights of workers; the U S Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) released its Annual Report on 1 May stating that conditions for religious freedom in India “continued to worsen in 2022”; the continued protest by the Indian women wrestlers at Jantar Mantar for the expulsion of the chief of the Indian Wrestlers Federation on very serious allegations; the Elections in Karnataka on 10 May (with communalism and corruption as the mainstay); the release of the fake, derogative and insensitive film ‘The Kerala Story’; the release of World Free Press Index on 3 May which places India

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.

Unlike other revolutionaries, Hindutva icon wrote 5 mercy petitions to British masters

By Shamsul Islam* The Hindutva icon VD Savarkar of the RSS-BJP rulers of India submitted not one, two,or three but five mercy petitions to the British masters! Savarkarites argue: “There are no evidences to prove that Savarkar collaborated with the British for his release from jail. In fact, his appeal for release was a ruse. He was well aware of the political developments outside and wanted to be part of it. So he kept requesting for his release. But the British authorities did not trust him a bit” (YD Phadke, ‘A complex Hero’, "The Indian Expres"s, August 31, 2004)

Polygamy in India "down" in 45 yrs: Muslims' from 5.7 to 2.55%, Hindus' 5.8 to 1.77%, "common" in SCs, STs

By Rajiv Shah Amidst All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) justifying polygamy, saying it “meets social and moral needs and the provision for it stems from concern and sympathy for women”, facts suggest the the practice is down from 5.7 per cent of Muslim families in 1961 to 2.55 per cent in 2006.

India joining US sponsored trade pillar to hurt Indian farmers, 'promote' GM seeds, food

Counterview Desk As many as 32 civil society organisations (CSOs), in a letter to Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal on the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) and India joining the trade pillar, have said that its provisions will allow the US to ensure a more favourable regulatory regime “for enhancing its exports of genetically modified (GM) seeds and GM food”, underlining, it will “significantly hurt the livelihoods of Indian farmers.”

Savarkar 'criminally betrayed' Netaji and his INA by siding with the British rulers

By Shamsul Islam* RSS-BJP rulers of India have been trying to show off as great fans of Netaji. But Indians must know what role ideological parents of today's RSS/BJP played against Netaji and Indian National Army (INA). The Hindu Mahasabha and RSS which always had prominent lawyers on their rolls made no attempt to defend the INA accused at Red Fort trials.

Modi govt 'wholly untrustworthy' on Covid data, censored criticism on pandemic: Lancet

By Rajiv Shah* One of the world’s most prestigious health journals, brought out from England, has sharply criticised the Narendra Modi government for being “wholly untrustworthy on Covid-19 health data”, stating, the “official government figures place deaths at more than 530 000, while WHO excess death estimates for 2020 and 2021 are near 4·7 million.”

Savarkar 'opposed' Bhagat Singh's, Netaji's dream of India, supported British war efforts

By Shamsul Islam* In a shocking development, the student wing of the RSS put the busts of martyrs Bhagat Singh and Subhash Chandra Bose with Savarkar's on one pedestal at the University of Delhi late in the night on August 20, 2019. Bhagat Singh sacrificed his life for a socialist-democratic-secular republic and Netaji raised Azad Hind Fauj (INA) consisting of people of all religions and regions for armed liberation of India.

Search This Blog