Friday, August 28, 2015

Press Release: Condemn the deaths in police firing as well as police crackdown on protesters seeking reservation benefits for Patel


PRESS RELEASE

28 August 2015

  • We condemn the deaths in police firing as well as police crackdown on protesters seeking reservation benefits forPatel. – Rohit Prajapati & Trupti Shah
  • The recent, unfortunate incidents across Gujarat only points out how misleading has been the so-called "Government of Gujarat's Model of Growth" as claimed by the BJP governments since more than a decade at both the state and now at national level.

We have repeatedly pointed out that the demand and need for reservations in government jobs and education is a positive corrective measure for historical social injustice & deprivation based on caste system and not primarily for the economic deprivation. 

We condemn the deaths in police firing as well as police crackdown on protesters seeking reservation benefits for Patel. We also condemn the government deployment of heavy police force to terrorise the protestors and ordinary people.

We believe that the demands of the Patidar Samaj should be debated in a peaceful and constructive manner, their demands mainly point out to the grim situation about unemployment, job-killing growth, lack of social security, privatisation and commercialisation of education & health and anti-farmer, anti-agricultural, anti-labour policies of the BJP governments both at Gujarat and at the national level, which has been repeatedly pointed out by social activists over the past decades in Gujarat. The feeling of injustice and deprivation is resulted from the economic policies that have favoured mainly large corporate houses, unrestricted growth of self-financed educational institutions and job-killing growth, contractual jobs in face of vacancies in government jobs.

We have repeatedly pointed out that the demand and need for reservations in government jobs and education is a positive corrective measure for historical social injustice & deprivation based on caste system and not primarily for the economic deprivation.

The recent, unfortunate incidents across Gujarat only points out how misleading has been the so-called "Government of Gujarat's Model of Growth" as claimed by the BJP governments since more than a decade at both the state and now at national level. The prevailing social tensions mainly point out the results of BJP governments' constant failure of "Government of Gujarat's Model of Growth" and refusal to engage in constructive debate about policies and strategies to ensure development for all sections of societies.

The recent events in Gujarat primarily point out the consequences of sidelining of the concerns about appropriate economic policylabour policy, agricultural, education & health policy and issues of social security. We believe that government should be responsive to the demands of every section of society and should engage in constructive dialogue constantly to prevent social tensions without any prejudice.

The failure of BJP led Gujarat and central government in timely engaging with constructive dialogue with the agitationists has led to emergence of violence and social tensions in the state of Gujarat. We condemn the government's attitude in failing to engage timely.

The Prime Minister's appeal for peace and resolution through dialogue is vague and formal; and comes belatedly pointing the CMO and PMO's failure in averting violence and social tensions in Gujarat.

We appeal for peace and harmony in the state, while stand in solidarity for every Indian citizen's fundamental right to peacefully express, protest, dissent without fear of state repression.

 

Rohit Prajapati

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