South Asia Citizens Web

The heavily barbed fence separated me from Sialkot on the other side of the border.

Mukul Dube’s photos of the on going protest dharna at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi on 12 November 2014

Peoples Union for Democratic Rights has time and again critiqued the use of draconian laws, of which sedition is a putrid kind, to stifle political dissent and eliminate political and ideological opposition. However, the recent use of the law of sedition shows its widening use in a manner which takes this defacement to the basic freedoms of individuals to express and conduct themselves in public spaces. Acts such as wearing T-shirts of a rival cricket team or cheering for it and not standing up for the national anthem in a theatre are regarded as offence enough to be charged under the law of sedition. These cases of sedition are far from being sporadic and random and are part of a chain of events along the slippery slope of majoritarianism.

The history of the national movement is being re-written to manufacture an RSS role, which did not exist in the struggles against British rule. Dinanath Batra’s books, already a part of the Gujarat curriculum, are sought now to be introduced at the national level. He is same Dinanath Batra, from whose books, Modi drew “inspiration” to prove that in Mahabharata times, India had discovered genetic engineering and plastic surgery! Subramanian Swami wants book burning, starting with books of secular historians like Romila Thapar. RSS leaders have recently met HRD Minister Smriti Irani to discuss revision of text books. Education is being used as a tool to create communal divide.

Sri Lanka’s foreign policy has recently been the target of much criticism and one can cite a litany of scandals and questionable departures from professionalism and our traditional Non-aligned stance. These are now overshadowed by the glaring lack of principle and consistency recently seen in the First Committee of the current UN General Assembly sessions where Disarmament and Security issues are discussed and voted upon.