[Following is the text of an appeal to all secular and democratic Indians issued on behalf of 48 organisations, including CPI(ML)-Liberation, CPI(ML)-Red Flag, CPI(ML)-Unity Initiative, COI (ML), CLI , MCPI, Lal Nishan Party (Leninist), Lal Nishan Party, Gujarat unit of CPI and CPI(M), Republican Party of India, SUCI, INSAF, Yuva Bharat, Trade Union Solidarity Centre, Gujarat Shramik Sabha, Gujarat Shramik Sanghatana, New Socialist Movement, Gujarat Lok Sangharsh Samiti, Prashant, Punaruthan, Sethu and others.]
First they used the Godhra carnage to unleash a series of well-planned anti-Muslim pogroms. Then they wanted to use the Gujarat genocide to intimidate the whole country into submission, enforce early elections and reap a bumper harvest at the hustings. But the fascist calculations seem to be going awry. Gujarat and India have stood up against the monstrous design of the Modi-Advani murder machine. In fact, except the BJP’s American masters, the entire civilised world has condemned the Gujarat genocide in one voice. The call for dismissal of the Modi government has emerged as the foremost battle cry for all secular and democratic Indians.
Words of protest and indignation have also been backed by a good deal of positive action. Courageous journalists and committed activists have defied the VHP-BJP terror machine to expose the murky design and systematic execution of the genocide and highlight the untold plight of the thousands of victims. The working people and secular intelligentsia from all corners of the country have joined hands to organise relief and rehabilitation campaign against all odds. The Election Commission has refused to agree to the Modi government’s mischievous plea for early elections. And now the Supreme Court has upheld the Election Commission’s paramount authority in this regard.
Modi and his men now have no right whatsoever to govern Gujarat in any capacity. Imposition of President’s Rule and its administration by a credible and non-RSS Governor is the crying need of the hour. The promise of rehabilitation has to be saved from turning into a cruel joke for the thousands of Muslim families who have either no place to return to or are being physically prevented from returning to the terror-stricken riot-ravaged remnants of what used to be their homes. And most crucially, for political confidence to be restored the killers, including the Modis, the Togadias and the Zadafias have to be arrested and punished without any further delay.
At this juncture, we the undersigned individuals and organisations, representing a broad spectrum of opinions ranging from revolutionary Communists to Socialists and Gandhians, are organising a convention in Ahmedabad on 28 September to raise and reflect on these key demands and strengthen the voice of democratic resistance against the communal fascist designs of the Modi-Advani clique. Activists and concerned citizens from neighbouring states like Maharashtra and Rajasthan and also from Delhi and some other parts of the country are expected to join workers and activists from Ahmedabad and elsewhere in Gujarat to attend this convention and take out a united anti-fascist march for justice and democracy.
Gujarat cannot be allowed to be reduced to a graveyard of democracy and laboratory of fascism. Gujarat rejects the sinister peace and order of a graveyard. Gujarat covets the din and bustle of a living and civilised society where the common man and woman can pick up the threads of communal harmony, rebuild their lives and resume their struggle for justice and democracy in a climate of mutual respect and trust. We solicit your valuable support and participation in every manner to make the convention and the march a reassuring success.
[The Venue of the Convention: Dr. Baba Saheb Ambedkar Hall, Behind Ahmedabad Railway Station, Ahmedabad]