'Hindu supremacist move': Plea to Bollywood actors not to attend I-day India parade in New York

By A Representative

Veteran Indian American journalist and civil rights activist Ajit Sahi has sought "immediate intervention" to contact Bollywood actors Sonakshi Sinha and Pankaj Tripathi regarding their scheduled participation in the India Day Parade in New York City on August 18, 2024.

In an open plea, Sahi says, "As you may be aware, the parade has recently attracted significant controversy due to the inclusion of a Ram Temple float, which is being brought by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad of America (VHPA). The float is widely perceived as divisive, Islamophobic, and a direct reflection of the Hindu supremacist ideology that has long oppressed the Muslim minority in India."

According to him, "The VHPA is well known for its affiliations with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) in India—organizations that have been instrumental in fostering communal violence and spreading anti-Muslim sentiment."

Sahi (photo) reveals, "The Bridge Initiative at Georgetown University has flagged the VHPA as a hate organization due to its extremist views and activities. Additionally, Savera, a respected civil society coalition, has published extensive reports exposing the direct links between the RSS-VHP in India and the VHPA. These connections are well-documented and have raised alarm among various human rights groups both in India and abroad."

He says, "The issue has garnered widespread attention in the U.S. mainstream media, with prominent outlets such as the New York Times, CNN, NBC, and ABC extensively covering the negative publicity surrounding the parade."

Stating that "the controversy has already cast a dark shadow over the event, leading to New York City Mayor Eric Adams publicly condemning the anti-Muslim float", he notes, "Mayor Adams has even announced that he will not participate in the parade this year, breaking with tradition from previous years."

He continues, "Many others, such as New York State Assembly member Zohran Mamdani and New York City Council members Shahana Hanif and Shekar Krishnan have condemned the float and asked that it be canceled."

"Given this context", he adds, "It is crucial that Sonakshi Sinha and Pankaj Tripathi reconsider their participation in the parade."

Sahi insists, "Associating with an event that features such a controversial and divisive element could severely damage their reputations, making them appear partisan and alienating a significant portion of their audience. The potential backlash could be detrimental to their careers and public standing, both in India and internationally."

He believes, "Their decision to withdraw from the parade would send a powerful message of solidarity with oppressed communities and uphold the values of inclusivity and respect."

Comments

Whither space for the marginalised in Kerala's privately-driven townships after landslides?

By Ipshita Basu, Sudheesh R.C. In the early hours of July 30 2024, a landslide in the Wayanad district of Kerala state, India, killed 400 people. The Punjirimattom, Mundakkai, Vellarimala and Chooralmala villages in the Western Ghats mountain range turned into a dystopian rubble of uprooted trees and debris.

Advocacy group decries 'hyper-centralization' as States’ share of health funds plummets

By A Representative In a major pre-budget mobilization, the Jan Swasthya Abhiyan (JSA), India’s leading public health advocacy network, has issued a sharp critique of the Union government’s health spending and demanded a doubling of the health budget for the upcoming 2026-27 fiscal year.

Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar’s views on religion as Tagore’s saw them

By Harasankar Adhikari Religion has become a visible subject in India’s public discourse, particularly where it intersects with political debate. Recent events, including a mass Gita chanting programme in Kolkata and other incidents involving public expressions of faith, have drawn attention to how religion features in everyday life. These developments have raised questions about the relationship between modern technological progress and traditional religious practice.

Election bells ringing in Nepal: Can ousted premier Oli return to power?

By Nava Thakuria* Nepal is preparing for a national election necessitated by the collapse of KP Sharma Oli’s government at the height of a Gen Z rebellion (youth uprising) in September 2025. The polls are scheduled for 5 March. The Himalayan nation last conducted a general election in 2022, with the next polls originally due in 2027. However, following the dissolution of Nepal’s lower house of Parliament last year by President Ram Chandra Poudel, the electoral process began under the patronage of an interim government installed on 12 September under the leadership of retired Supreme Court judge Sushila Karki. The Hindu-majority nation of over 29 million people will witness more than 3,400 electoral candidates, including 390 women, representing 68 political parties as well as independents, vying for 165 seats in the 275-member House of Representatives.

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.

With infant mortality rate of 5, better than US, guarantee to live is 'alive' in Kerala

By Nabil Abdul Majeed, Nitheesh Narayanan In 1945, two years prior to India's independence, the current Chief Minister of Kerala, Pinarayi Vijayan, was born into a working-class family in northern Kerala. He was his mother’s fourteenth child; of the thirteen siblings born before him, only two survived. His mother was an agricultural labourer and his father a toddy tapper. They belonged to a downtrodden caste, deemed untouchable under the Indian caste system.

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.

Gig workers hold online strike on republic day; nationwide protests planned on February 3

By A Representative Gig and platform service workers across the country observed a nationwide online strike on Republic Day, responding to a call given by the Gig & Platform Service Workers Union (GIPSWU) to protest what it described as exploitation, insecurity and denial of basic worker rights in the platform economy. The union said women gig workers led the January 26 action by switching off their work apps as a mark of protest.

Ganga-Jamuni Tehzeeb: Akbar to Shivaji -- the cross-cultural alliances that built India

By Ram Puniyani What is Indian culture? Is it purely Hindu, or a blend of many influences? Today, Hindu right-wing advocates of Hindutva claim that Indian culture is synonymous with Hindu culture, which supposedly resisted "Muslim invaders" for centuries. This debate resurfaced recently in Kolkata at a seminar titled "The Need to Protect Hinduism from Hindutva."

Search This Blog