South Asia Citizens Web

PIL in Madras HC challenges chief engineer’s circular to conduct puja for rain
The circular would encourage those people who were exploiting the public in the name of religion, the petitioner said

In an interview to Newsclick, prominent social activist Harsh Mander talks about the Modi led NDA government’s attack on the constitutional values of the country. These values — equality, fraternity and solidarity — were product of the national movement that had also rejected the divisive nationalism of the RSS. He explains that the present government is vastly different from the 1998 NDA government not only because it enjoys an absolute majority in the Parliament, but also due the authoritarian and Hindu majoritarian tendencies of Narendra Modi. He says that the agenda of the Modi regime seems to be to remake India into a Hindu nation and to force the minorities into submission.

In political terms, yes, people of country do vote every five years to decide who is going to run the Government. In 2014 as well, 31% of Indians who have voting rights elected the NDA government headed by Narendra Modi, thus giving it a mandate for five years. So, we do have political democracy. But do people of India have any say in the functioning of the government? Is democracy limited to the process of elections or does it also fulfill the social and economic aspirations of the people?

This is an appeal regarding Raif Badawi, a blogger and Saudi citizen, founder of the website ‘Free Saudi Liberals’. Mr Badawi has been under arrest since 2012 for insulting Islam and apostasy. We are mindful that India and Saudi Arabia have long-standing friendly political and commercial relations and that large numbers of Indians live and work in your country. It is because of this that we feel constrained to convey to you our concerns. Raif Badawi is a public intellectual who communicated his thoughts to the public through a blog. We do not believe that any of its contents constituted a threat to the state.

A discussion on a public television network in India with Prof. Sushma Yadav (Pro Vice Chancellor, IGNOU) ; Aditya Mukherjee (Professor, JNU) ; Urmi Goswami (Special Correspondent, Economic Times) ; Nandita Narain (Associate Professor, St. Stephens College, University of Delhi & President, DUTA)