'Save Constitution, remove Manu statue': US Dalit, Hindu rights groups support campaign

By Our Representative
In a major campaign, as many as 11,000 villages will light a lamp on November 26 to "honour and protect" the Indian Constitution, which is allegedly under great duress today. As part of the campaign, spearheaded by Martin Macwan of the Dalit rights NGO Navsarjan Trust, Gujarat, he has also sought support from all sections of public for the removal of the statue of Manu from the premises of the Rajasthan High Court.
Covid surges and other hurdles curtailed the planned conclusion of the campaign on August 15, 2021. However, in a "new' and "urgent" circumstance,Macwan has issued a fresh call to "protect and honour" India’s secular constitution on November 26, Constitution Day, the day that Dr BR Ambedkar presented the draft Constitution to the people of India. Contending that India's secular constitution is being pushed to "darkness", a campaign call claims, "Almost every pillar of democracy has been weakened or even removed altogether."
Meanwhile, two diaspora groups, Ambedkar King Study Circle (AKSC), California, and Hindus for Human Rights (HfHR), New York, have lent their support to Macwan's campaign, which includes garnering lakhs of ‘missed calls' in India. A joint AKSC-HfHR petition In the US, which has gathered 5,000 supporters, seeks to light a lamp on November 26 to honour the Constitution and say "no" to Manu on court premises.
The petition, floated by Raju Rajagopal of HfHR, and distributed though the Peoples Media Advocacy & Resource Centre (PMARC), insists that "a public statue of the author of the infamous Manusmṛiti has no place in India’s pluralistic society", adding, "We support the call for the removal of Manu from the premises of the Rajasthan High Court."
The petition says, "We stand united in sending a message across the world that caste bigotry and violence against Dalits must end. We shall light a lamp on November 26, 2021 to honour and protect India's secular constitution", pointing out, Macwan, "recently wrote an Open Letter to India's Congress Party demanding that it order the immediate removal of the statue of Manu, considered to be the author of the Manusmṛiti, from the Rajasthan High Court."
The petition argues,"The Manusmṛiti is unarguably one of the vilest treatises among the body of Hindu scriptures. Many commentaries have been written about it and we will not repeat them here. Suffice it to say that it lays out detailed varna/caste rules and specifies consequences and penalties for trespassing them, including the misfortunes that may befall in one’s next birth(s). It also contains the most horrific and graphic descriptions of the prescribed treatment of the forebears of today's Dalits."
It recalls, 'In America today, a major effort is underway to recognize that confederate monuments aren’t merely historical in their intent, but serve as continuing reminders to Black America of the daily discrimination that they still face. The George Floyd protests and the resonance of the Black Lives Matter among all Americans has energized calls for the removal of all such monuments."

From Manusmriti

"It is in the same spirit", the petition says, "India must forthwith remove the statue of Manu, the most visible symbol of centuries of caste discrimination and atrocities on the basis of one’s birth. Most certainly, the author of the Manusmṛiti does not belong in a place dedicated to defending India’s constitution, which promises equality under the law to every citizen of India."
Seeking more signatures, the petition, forwarding the List of Initial Signatories of the Open Letter to the Congress Party from every State of India and from the US, says, "It is high time that each one of us who cares for India’s democratic and constitutional values does our part, however small it may seem, to end the caste system and its cruel vestiges."
It points out, "It may be worth noting that it was a small act of courage by a Belgian teenager, in front of the statue of King Leopold II that resulted in the current King of Belgium sending his 'deepest regrets' to the President of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) for the "suffering and humiliation" his nation inflicted while it colonized the region over a century back."
Also seeking support the missed call campaign that is underway by calling 9823157779 (India) the petition quotes Macwan for the support he received from diaspora groups for signing the letter to Congress president Sonia Gandhi for removing the statue of Manu. A copy of the letter has been forwarded to the Rajsthan chief minister and the Rajasthan high court chief justice.
"A total of 609 people signed the letter. We are updating the list as more than 150 signatories have just joined in", says Macwan, adding, "To ensure that this movement becomes widespread and reaches to many more especially the rural communities, we launched the missed campaign" whose update suggests "more than 20,00,000 people" have supported it.

Comments

Sri said…

If some body says save constitution remove Quran and Bible which anti women and anti human what does we say
Manu never write about discrimination of class caste race and sex

June 20, 2023

Loktantra Bachao Abhiyan raises concerns over Jharkhand Adivasis' plight in Assam, BJP policies

By Our Representative The Loktantra Bachao Abhiyan (Save Democracy Campaign) has issued a pressing call to protect Adivasi rights in Jharkhand, highlighting serious concerns over the treatment of Jharkhandi Adivasis in Assam. During a press conference in Ranchi on November 9, representatives from Assam, Chhattisgarh, and Madhya Pradesh criticized the current approach of BJP-led governments in these states, arguing it has exacerbated Adivasi struggles for rights, land, and cultural preservation.

Promoting love or instilling hate and fear: Why is RSS seeking a meeting with Rahul Gandhi?

By Ram Puniyani* India's anti-colonial struggle was marked by a diverse range of social movements, one of the most significant being Hindu-Muslim unity and the emergence of a unified Indian identity among people of all religions. The nationalist, anti-colonial movement championed this unity, best embodied by Mahatma Gandhi, who ultimately gave his life for this cause. Gandhi once wrote, “The union that we want is not a patched-up thing but a union of hearts... Swaraj (self-rule) for India must be an impossible dream without an indissoluble union between the Hindus and Muslims of India. It must not be a mere truce... It must be a partnership between equals, each respecting the religion of the other.”

Right-arm fast bowler who helped West Indies shape arguably greatest Test team in cricket history

By Harsh Thakor* Malcolm Marshall redefined what it meant to be a right-arm fast bowler, challenging the traditional laws of biomechanics with his unique skill. As we remember his 25th death anniversary on November 4th, we reflect on the legacy he left behind after his untimely death from colon cancer. For a significant part of his career, Marshall was considered one of the fastest and most formidable bowlers in the world, helping to shape the West Indies into arguably the greatest Test team in cricket history.

Andhra team joins Gandhians to protest against 'bulldozer action' in Varanasi

By Rosamma Thomas* November 1 marked the 52nd day of the 100-day relay fast at the satyagraha site of Rajghat in Varanasi, seeking the restoration of the 12 acres of land to the Sarva Seva Sangh, the Gandhian organization that was evicted from the banks of the river. Twelve buildings were demolished as the site was abruptly taken over by the government after “bulldozer” action in August 2023, even as the matter was pending in court.

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

A Hindu alternative to Valentine's Day? 'Shiv-Parvati was first love marriage in Universe'

By Rajiv Shah The other day, I was searching on Google a quote on Maha Shivratri which I wanted to send to someone, a confirmed Shiv Bhakt, quite close to me -- with an underlying message to act positively instead of being negative. On top of the search, I chanced upon an article in, imagine!, a Nashik Corporation site which offered me something very unusual.

Will Left victory in Sri Lanka deliver economic sovereignty plan, go beyond 'tired' IMF agenda?

By Atul Chandra, Vijay Prashad* On September 22, 2024, the Sri Lankan election authority announced that Anura Kumara Dissanayake of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP)-led National People’s Power (NPP) alliance won the presidential election. Dissanayake, who has been the leader of the left-wing JVP since 2014, defeated 37 other candidates, including the incumbent president Ranil Wickremesinghe of the United National Party (UNP) and his closest challenger Sajith Premadasa of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya.

Will Bangladesh go Egypt way, where military ruler is in power for a decade?

By Vijay Prashad* The day after former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina left Dhaka, I was on the phone with a friend who had spent some time on the streets that day. He told me about the atmosphere in Dhaka, how people with little previous political experience had joined in the large protests alongside the students—who seemed to be leading the agitation. I asked him about the political infrastructure of the students and about their political orientation. He said that the protests seemed well-organized and that the students had escalated their demands from an end to certain quotas for government jobs to an end to the government of Sheikh Hasina. Even hours before she left the country, it did not seem that this would be the outcome.

A Marxist intellectual who dwelt into complex areas of the Indian socio-political landscape

By Harsh Thakor* Professor Manoranjan Mohanty has been a dedicated advocate for human rights over five decades. His work as a scholar and activist has supported revolutionary democratic movements, navigating complex areas of the Indian socio-political landscape. His balanced, non-partisan approach to human rights and social justice has made his books essential resources for advocates of democracy.

Tributes paid to pioneer of Naxalism in Punjab, who 'dodged' police for 60 yrs

By Harsh Thakor* Jagjit Singh Sohal, known as Comrade Sharma, a pioneer of Naxalism in Punjab, passed away on October 20 at the age of 96. Committed to the Naxalite cause and a prominent Maoist leader, Sohal, who succeeded Charu Majumdar, played hide and seek with the police for almost six decades. He was cremated in Patiala.

Search This Blog