Right to Eat; Right to Speak: Popular Front announces campaign to defend democracy

Popular Front of India will launch a national campaign to defend the democratic rights of people to eat what they like and speak what they like. The decision was taken in the joint meeting of Central Secretariat and the Zonal and State leaders of Popular Front of India at Bangalore on 1st and 2nd October.

 

The resolution passed by the National Leadership Meet opined that policies and actions of Narendra Modi government are proving that it is only protecting the interests of big corporates and RSS, and not the people of India.

 

BJP’s tall promises such as Sab ka saath Sab ka Vikas, return of black money within hundred days, corruption free governance etc. have been proved to be just that, empty promises. The government’s withdrawal from service sectors like education and public health in favour of big business houses are going to seriously affect the common people.

 

Narendra Modi’s much publicised world tours with the slogan “Make in India” have not brought any economic gain for the nation. Sooner or later people of India have to pay a high price for the crony capitalist policies of the NDA regime. The meeting also found highly disturbing the increasing role of Sangh Parivar in running the government.

 

There is strong evidence that even cabinet ministers and high level bureaucrats queue up to meet the higher ups in RSS. It is involved in creating an atmosphere of fear and intimidation among the Dalits, backward castes and secular circles. Innocents pay the price of communalisation The meeting has expressed deep concern over the rise of attacks, both verbal and physical, against minorities ever since new government came to power.

 

The innocent Muslims are paying the price for the extreme communal hatred inflamed by campaigns against the imaginary increase of Muslim population. Latest incidents show that communal fascist elements are emboldened to carry extreme brutalities hitherto unheard of and impose their will upon helpless Muslims as seen in attempts to prevent Qurbani during Eid and the brutal killing of an innocent old man close to the national capital allegedly for eating beef.

 

People who are vocal in their opposition to Hindutva politics are being exterminated systematically. The killing of the free thinker M M Kalburgi in Karnataka is only the latest in the series of permanently silencing critics. Conspiracies high against reservation The meeting has observed that the recent agitation by forwards castes such as Patels in Gujarat for reservation is a clear ploy to undermine the very system reservation meant for the empowerment of backward classes.

 

The leader of the agitation has admitted that he draws inspiration from extreme rightist leaders. The cat is out of the bag with RSS supremo Mohan Bhagawat calling for a review of the system of reservation itself. The meeting urged central and state governments to take a principled stand in the matter of reservation which has proved to be an effective means for achieving justice and equality among the depressed classes.

Join hands to defend democracy Popular Front has appealed the secular democratic forces and patriotic citizens at large to join hand to defend democracy by standing up for people’s right to freedom of food and freedom of thought. As a step towards this goal, Popular Front will undertake a campaign across the country under the caption Right to Eat; Right to Speak from 9 to 18 October. The National Leadership Meet appealed support from all sections of society for making the campaign successful. With regards, Mohammed Ali Jinnah General Secretary Popular Front of India.