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Massive protests send clear demands to Indian PM Modi: End suppression of minorities and desist from clamping down on civil society institutions
AJA distances itself from a separatist protest held by a different group at the same venue
New York, NY; September 28, 2104
Alliance
for Justice and Accountability, a broad coalition of organizations and
individuals, announced that the rally this morning in New York City
during Prime Minister Modi's event at Madison Square Garden, was a huge
success. Hundreds of people, including human rights activists,
professionals, students and people from all walks of life attended the
rally. Protesters were a large and spirited group of Indian Americans
comprising of people of all faiths and ideological persuasions, with one
thing in common: they were demanding justice and accountability in the
case of Mr. Modi, and an end to repression of minorities and crony
capitalism in India.
"The protests have demonstrated the rejection of a leader who represents a hateful and divisive agenda, " said Robindra Deb, a key AJA organizer of protest on September 28. "We represent the 70% of Indians that did not vote for Mr. Modi," added Mr. Deb.
 
AJA protesters were required by law to share protest space with all other groups protesting at MSG. "While
we share human rights concerns, AJA does not endorse separatist calls
by other groups protesting outside of MSG. These groups were not part of
the Alliance" said Shaik Ubaid, a spokesperson for the Alliance.
The first 100 days of Mr. Modi's tenure as PM have
shown to the world the grave dangers posed by the Hindu nationalist
ideology to pluralism and the rule of law. Since the national elections
that brought Modi's party to power, the northern state of Uttar Pradesh
alone has witnessed over 600 incidents against the Muslim minority. Mr. Modi has imposed severe restrictions on civil society
institutions including world-renowned organizations like Amnesty
International and Greenpeace, and is using India's Intelligence Bureau
to tarnish reputed NGOs in India and the diaspora as "anti-national
groups."
Placards
could be seen in the large crowd, demanding that Mr. Modi himself be
brought to justice and demanding an end to the sectarian agenda of the
Hindutva ideology he espouses. Protesters also expressed determination
that they would not let the victims of the Gujarat pogroms of 2002, or
the subsequent extra-judicial killings and illegal detentions in Gujarat be forgotten. The anti-conversion agenda espoused by Modi's party has now spiraled into major polarization campaigns led by Hindu nationalist militias to restrict the religious freedoms of minority communities.
Mr.
Modi was banned from entering the US by the State Department, under the
International Religious Freedom Act for his "egregious violations of
religious freedom." With his election to the post of Prime Minister, the
US decided to lift the travel ban, an exemption often given to heads of
state.
Protesters also referred to the report released by The Ghadar Alliance
(a constituent of AJA) that evaluated Mr. Modi's first 100 days in
office. The meticulously researched report details the ways in which the
new government has increased repression of minorities through brazen
violations of human rights and religious freedom, dismantled democratic
protections, while increasing corporate giveaways. The full report can
be found at:http://www.modifacts.org/
"The
protests have sent a clear message. The so-called 'welcome' given to
Mr. Modi by the Indian diaspora is far from being uniform," said Sonia Joseph, an organizer with SASI in NYC. "On
the contrary, a large section of the diaspora has decided its time to
stand up and be counted among those who will defend secularism and
pluralism in India against the onslaught of Hindutva." she further added.
"Economic development on the graveyard of human rights and rule of law can never go right" said Parchi Patankar, another spokesperson for the Alliance.
Protesters
came from all over the US, with the majority having arrived through
chartered buses from New Jersey, Baltimore, Washington DC, Boston and
Philadelphia.
The Alliance for Justice and Accountability is a
US-based coalition of a diverse range of Indian/South Asian
organizations and individuals.
FB event page : https://www.facebook.com/events/679894935412495/
CONTACT:
Sonia Joseph: 917-434-0504
Shaikh Ubaid: 516-567-0783
Prachi Patankar: 917-415-0659
  
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