dear all, the final battle has begun. please be ready.
---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Santosh Kumar Rungta <[email protected]> Date: Fri, 7 Feb 2014 10:39:40 +0530 Subject: To: Dipendra Manocha <[email protected]>, "A.K. Mittal 2" <[email protected]>, J L Kaul <[email protected]>, J P Gadkari <[email protected]>, Jo Chopra <[email protected]>, "National Platform For The Rights of the Disabled (NPRD)" <[email protected]>, K Ramkrishna <[email protected]>, Javed Abidi <[email protected]>, Amba Salelkar <[email protected]>, rajive raturi <[email protected]>, NAB <[email protected]>, [email protected], Bhushan Punani <[email protected]>, Deepak Tandiya <[email protected]>, Dheepakh PS <[email protected]>, Sayaji Hande <[email protected]>, [email protected], Anuradha Mohit <[email protected]>, [email protected], womenblind <[email protected]> Dear Colleagues, The Govt. is introducing the Bill on the rights of persons with disabilities today in the Rajya Sabha in its original form and planned to introduce the amendments claimed to have been approved by the Cabinet later. It is a very serious matter as it is not clear as to how it will be ensured that on introduction of the Bill today no damage is caused. further, it is not clear as to in what form the Cabinet has approved the amended Bill. Under these circumstances we are staging a demonstration in front of the parliament to demand the referral of the Bill to the Standing committee instead of passing it in a hurry. Even otherwise also keeping in view the prevailing environment in both the Houses of Parliament on contentious issues like Telangana etc. it is not wise to insist upon the passage of Bill in a hurry. I and the entire blind community take strong exception to the malacious camaign against blind community by the group lead by Mr. Javed Abidi that the blind alone are getting the benefits in the existing Act. I would like to emphatically inform the disability sector that when even Javed was not born in the disability field, it was the blind movement in the year 1980 which laid the foundation for enactment of the PWD Act and again it was the blind movement which was instrumental in getting the current Act passed. In this struggle, I and many of our blind friends have been subjected to police action, various criminal cases were also registered against us. Many times we were also taken in the police custody in this struggle but the blind community alone continued its struggle till the Act was passed. Again non-implementation of various provisions of the Act particularly in the area of employment had also been the subject matter of our struggle by the blind community both by way of judicial activism and agitation which is for the benefit of all disabilities entitled to receive the benefit of reservation and not the blind alone. In this process, we have won various judicial battles which in fact have benefited more to the hearing impaired and locomotor disabled than the blind. I therefore, reiterate that blind community is continued its strike towards the right of equality and life with dignity for all categories of persons with disabilities irrespective of the fact that the blind community may not benefit on par with other disabilities. such a malicious campaign has further exposed the Javed and his group of their narrow and self centered approach towards the disability sector. I would urge to all of you who endorse my view should write to all leaders of every political parties in both houses of parliament making similar demand that the bill if introduced should be referred to the standing committee and not pass in a hurry. Let me inform Javed and his group that the Blindness community will not tolerate and will also not yield to the pressure of his malicious campaign but will continue and strengthen its strive against the passage of the Bill unless it meet the aspirations of all disabilities and unless it ensures non-discrimination on the ground of disability in any form. such a malicious campaign has reached even in the political circle by this irresponsible group which has not only damage the cause of disability but has also shown our disunity in the public. I leave all this to you the leaders of various disability to make your individual judgment on this unfortunate developments. (S.K. Rungta)] General Secretary National Federation of the Blind, India -- Ajay Arora phd research scholar Centre for the Study of Law and Governance JNU Nelson Mandela Marg New Delhi India Time to meet up again! 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