Peoples Alliance for Democracy & Secularism - Resolutions adopted on February 27, 2014
PADS Resolutions February
27, 2014
The Peoples Alliance for Democracy & Secularism,
comprising activist groups and individuals from across the country, held a one
day national convention in New Delhi
on Feb 27, 2014 . After due
discussions, reports and debates, the convention resolved as follows:
1/ The national convention of the Peoples Alliance for
Democracy & Secularism calls upon members of the public to uphold communal
harmony at all costs; oppose communal propaganda and violence; defend
democratic liberties and practices; and resist communal forces of all
hues in the coming elections. It also notes that democratic freedoms
are a life and death issue for workers, the poor and dispossessed.
2/ The convention asserts the need and requirement for state
institutions to be divested of religious symbolism and display of any variety
3/ The convention notes that public peace depends upon the
proper functioning and accountability of the police and criminal justice
system. It calls upon public officials at all levels and in all branches of
administration to discharge their constitutional duties without fear, favour or
bias
4/ The convention notes that women and children are often
the worst affected by communal violence and communal ideas; it resolves to
support women’s movements in their struggle against the politics of patriarchal
domination
5/ The convention asks the Union government and governments
of states to produce a White Paper on action taken after all Commissions of
Inquiry into communal incidents since Independence ;
and provide justice to all victims of communal violence. It calls upon both
Houses of Parliament to offer condolences to all victims of communal violence;
and apologise on behalf of the Union of India for its failure to uphold Article
21 of the Constitution that assures all citizens of their right to life and
liberty unless deprived of it by due process of law
6/ The convention calls upon members of the public to oppose
the criminalisation of the Indian polity and tyrannical practices in the name
of religion. It notes that such tendencies are at work in other countries in South
Asia & offers solidarity with secular democratic forces in the
entire region. It considers these to be symptoms of a fascist assault upon
democracy and resolves to resist these tendencies by all peaceful means
possible.
Peoples Alliance for Democracy & SecularismSee also:
Selected audio recordings from the PADS national convention
Battinni Rao, Noor Zaheer, Shabnam Hashmi, Jairus Banaji, Rahul Pandita, Purushottam Agrawal, Irfan Engineer, Adhiraj Bose, Himanshu Kumar, Asad Ashraf, Bonojit Hussain, Manisha Sethi and Subhash Gatade.
Transcript of Purushottam Agrawal's speech at the National Convention
