New Delhi: As January draws to a close, two campaigns – in Delhi and Mumbai – led by the citizenry, ex-servicemen, activists, journalists and various other sections of society aim to highlight the worsening socio-economic situation of Indians and to appeal to the nation to confront the growing culture of violence over the last four years.
Both campaigns are organised to mark the 71st anniversary of Gandhi’s martyrdom and seek answers from the political establishment about the most critical issues affecting Indians everywhere.
A joint agitation in New Delhi – #IndiaUnites – will take place at Jantar Mantar from January 30 to February 7, seeking responses from all political parties about the destructive mix of poor economic policies and implementation, which has had devastating implications for various sections of society across the country.
The India Unites Convention on Non Violence and Harmony in Mumbai began on January 23 and will conclude on January 30. Various civil society organisations, academics and activists came together “to protect the secular, pluralistic and democratic fibre of the country.”
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The uniting feature of both campaigns is the growing frustration with the socio-economic policies of the government. Both cite issues like the increasing instances of communal violence and hatred, intensified casteist divisions through government patronage, the further marginalisation, demoralisation and downgrading of India’s armed forces, peaking rural and agrarian distress and worsening employment and lack of jobs, among other things.
Joining hands for the agitation in Delhi are: ex-servicemen, members of Dalit, Adivasi and Bahujan Samaj, farmers’ organisations, people affected by chit fund scams, civil society members, citizens against Aadhaar and surveillance, journalists, women’s rights organisations and youth and teachers’ organisations.
During the week-long dharna, each group will speak about their grievances and how poor policy making and implementation has adverse affected them since the government came to power. On the last day – February 7 – all the constituents plan to mobilise.
The press release and outline of the agitation announced today. pic.twitter.com/JpEYpoAVqZ
— #IndiaUnites (@Ind_Unites) January 24, 2019
At the convention being held in Mumbai at Sophia Bhabha Auditorium on January 30, the speakers will include Amol Palekar (actor, director & producer), Antara Dev Sen (journalist, editor Little Magazine), Justice Chelameswar (retd. Supreme Court Judge), Javed Akhtar (poet, lyricist & screenwriter), Kawalpreet Kaur (student leader), Admiral L. Ramdas (former Chief of the Naval Staff), Meeran Chadha Borwankar (former DG, Bureau of Police Research and Development), Nayantara Seghal (writer) and Pradnya Daya Pawar (Marathi poet & fiction writer).
The speeches will be followed by cultural performances by Dolly Thakore (theatre actress), Gauhar Raza (poet & scientist), Imaad Shah (actor & musician), Lynn D’souza (vocalist), Mannu Kohli (singer), Nazneen Shaikh (activist singer), Purva Naresh (playwright & dancer) and Vasu Primlani (internaional stand-up comedian)
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Prior to the conference on January 30, a week-long campaign from January 24 to 29 was planned to sensitise students & youth to the values of non-violence and harmony – the values for which Mahatma Gandhi fought all his life and gave his life for. Special postcards have been printed for the campaign called ‘Hum Hi Gandhi! Hum Hi Ahimsa!’, paying homage to how Gandji widely used postcards to communicate with people.
During the campaign in colleges and communities, students and young people will be engaging with speakers on topics like youth and non-violence, the growing culture of intolerance, communal harmony, secularism, etc.
Central to these campaigns is the enduring allegation of how the government has repeatedly trivialised and subverted the Indian Constitution to its expedient. As we move closer to the 2019 general election, they aim to propagate a narrative in which everyone owes responsibility to upholding constitutional values, especially the government.