The Ayodhya Verdict: Fact Vs Faith - A panel discussion (New Delhi, 4 November 2010)

Dear All,

Anveshan has been planning to organise a panel discussion on the nuances of the Ayodhya verdict which has left all of us shocked, to say the least. Details of the programme are as follows:

The Ayodhya Verdict: Fact Vs Faith

A brief description: The Allahabad high Court on the Ayodhya title dispute and the events that preceded it, amount to a systematic undermining of the Indian constitution. The judgment has been delivered after casting aside both law and science. This judgment which is an endorsement of majoritarian (not majority) communalism embodied primarily but not exclusively by the RSS-BJP. It is also in line with trends that are at the heart of "mainstream" India in particular the Congress party. The Congress party's pragmatic communal stance has prevented it from adopting any explicit position on the issue which in the present circumstances amounts to an endorsement of the majoritarian communal position.

All Indian citizens who wish to defend the Indian constitution therefore have to come forward to comprehend the full implications of the judgment. On this basis a concerted response needs to be framed that will form the starting point for beating back this reactionary offensive and unleashing the democratic potential of the Indian constitution.

Speakers:
Prabhat Patnaik, JNU
Anil Nauriya, Senior Supreme Court Lawyer
Nivedita Menon, JNU
Mukul Kesavan, Jamia Milia Islamia


Date: Nov. 4, 2010
Venue: Muktdhara Conference Hall (Basement)
[Muktadhara Hall is on Bhai Bir Singh Marg near Gole market, in New Delhi]
Time: 5 p.m.

Thanks and we look forward to seeing you on the 4th. Please circulate as widely as possible.

Best Wishes
Rohit
On behalf of Anveshan