People's Democracy

People’s Integration Council Formed In Delhi

A GROUP of concerned citizens, cutting across the political spectrum and hailing from all walks of life, came together to constitute the People’s Integration Council (PIC) in the backdrop of the government of India’s failure to convene the meeting of the National Integration Council (NIC) in the last one decade. They said “with the nation passing through one crisis to another and deterioration in the national environment of harmony and peace, this step by the civil society became imperative.”

The two-day meeting that formed the PIC was inaugurated by Dr K R Narayanan, former president of India, on February 1. Smt Sonia Gandhi, president of the Indian National Congress, delivered the keynote address at this launching ceremony in the Parliament House annexe. More than 150 concerned citizens, hailing from all parts of the country, participated in this convention and by common consent adopted a declaration.

Dr Narayanan said the substance of national integration was tolerance of regional and linguistic differences. In today’s context, he mentioned the “evil experiment in hatred in Gujarat,” and wanted to know why no movement was generated by India as a whole to contain the madness in the state. He said communalism was a threat to democracy and a threat to the very fabric of our national unity. Fascism was rearing its head, he said, but added that nobody would be able to change the colour of India and turn it into a fanatic state. Narayanan further said in today’s era of privatisation and globalisation when the world was becoming one, there was a need to maintain “our identities and special culture.” Stressing that economic unity was no longer a “floating dream,” he said economic unity had to be bolstered by social unity. the conclusion, Senior Congress leader Arjun Singh said, “We have to safeguard the constitution and the pluralistic structure of the country from divisive tendencies.”

CPI(M) Polit Bureau member Sitaram Yechury said this initiative had come very at a important moment in the country’s history when the communal forces have mounted an all-out offensive to undermine the secular character of the Indian republic. Given the country’s vast diversity and plurality, he said secularism and democracy in the Indian contest are intertwined. The key to protecting secularism and at the same time safeguarding our democracy lies in protection of the rights of the individuals, particularly minorities. He further said the current battle of ideas is the continuation of the struggle between three alternative visions that emerged during the country’s freedom struggle.

Elaborating the point, Yechury said while the main vision sought to establish a secular democratic republic and an independent India, the Left vision went beyond this to seek the transformation of political independence into economic empowerment of every individual, that is, to socialism. Opposed to all this was a third vision, the communal vision, which defined the character of independent India on religious lines. This vision was given expression by the Muslim League that worked for the partition of the country and at the same time by the RSS that sought to establish its version of a fascist Hindu Rashtra in India. What we see today is the continuation of that very battle of visions. Yechury then added that India has to be saved today in order change it for a better tomorrow.

The People’s Integration Council (PIC) called upon all the democratic, secular and nationalist elements in India to unite and combat the divisive forces that are attempting to overwhelm the secular democratic polity of India.

The council resolved not to use the terms like Hindutva or Sangh Parivar since they do no represent the true believers of Hinduism.

The People’s Integration Council felt that the public discourse throughout India is being vitiated by open divisive statements aimed at dividing the polity and at creating disaffection and distrust between communities. This act is obviously in contravention of the constitution and the laws of the land. Yet it goes unpunished because it has the open support and even the open participation by members of the ruling alliance and even persons who have constitutional authority, which prevents them from acting in this matter. The council called for an immediate cessation of this divisive public discourse and also called for firm and impartial application of the law of the land against those who continue to endanger public peace and amity by such discourse. The People’s Integration Council felt that similar action should be taken regarding all previous riots, including the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.

The council demanded an amendment to the Commission of Enquiry Act to ensure its impartial appointment by a panel of the leaders of both houses of parliament, leader of opposition or chief justice of Supreme Court/High Court at state level.

The law maintaining the status quo with regard to places of worship in this country should be firmly enforced. All places of worship destroyed by mobs, including the ones recently destroyed in Gujarat, should be reconstructed at the state’s expenses.

The People’s Integration Council demanded an early resolution of the Babri Masjid-Ramjanmabhoomi dispute, according to the law of the land, and that all parties should abide by the orders of the Supreme Court to maintain the status quo.

The People’s Integration Council felt worried over the communal and sectarian distortion of education, and the deliberate attempt to destroy the proud pluralistic heritage of our land. It called for an independent review of text books and school curriculum, to weed out all divisive and anti-rational, unscientific elements, and also to promote positive values of pluralism, diversity, justice and compassion.

The People’s Integration Council called for a campaign for gender-just laws for the people of all faiths --- laws that accord the women equal rights to property, wages, social, political, economic and marital rights.

The People’s Integration Council condemned all acts of terrorism and called upon the government to effectively combat cross-border terrorism.

The council demanded that the Justice Srikrishna commission’s recommendations and those of the Concerned Citizens Tribunal should be implemented without any delay.

The People’s Integration Council attached the highest importance to providing justice and equality to the SCs, STs, backward classes and other weaker sections of society. The People’s Integration Council also noted that the biggest blot on Hinduism are the practice of making the SCs carry night soil on their heads, of untouchability in places of worship and caste discrimination in its various forms. The PIC felt the removal of these acts of discrimination must get precedence over the construction of a temple at Ayodhya.

The People’s Integration Council was of the opinion that concentration of wealth and assets in a few hands in the country must be countered. Senseless privatisation of public assets cannot be accepted because they have been built up with the Indian people’s hard-earned money. The council said the government is merely the custodian of these assets.

The People’s Integration Council urged the parliament to enact a law on the prevention and punishment of the crime of genocide as required by article 5 of the UN Convention on Genocide 48 to which India is a party.

Without mincing words, the council (PIC) accused the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of extending full backing to the communal forces to create “disaffection and distrust between communities.”

Later, addressing a press conference at New Delhi, PIC leaders Arjun Singh, Sitaram Yechuri, Nirmala Deshpande (a leading Gandhian), Udit Raj, Amarjit Kaur and leaders of secular parties, representatives of some NGOs, artists, writers and others said no action was being taken against communal forces because they get “open support from the members of the ruling alliance.”

These leaders called for an immediate cessation of this divisive public discourse and urged for firm and impartial applications of the law against those who continue to endanger public peace and amity.

They expressed concern over “distortion of education” and the “deliberate attempts to destroy the pluralistic heritage” of the country. It called for an independent review of the text books and school curriculum to weed out all “divisive and anti-rational and unscientific elements.”

The PIC leaders viewed with great concern the attacks on the media by the government with a view to influencing their work. “We appeal to the media to resist all such attempts and discharge its responsibility, which is crucial to the nation’s well-being,” the speakers said.

They further demanded setting up of an Equal Opportunities Commission for the implementation of the right to equality and non-discrimination.

Arjun Singh further announced that branches of the PIC would be set up all over the country. From the secretariat, Navid Hamid and others made it clear that the council cuts across political affiliations and includes a whole gamut of political parties’ representatives, intellectuals, NGOs and others. It could even take the shape of a mass movement, they added. (INN)