Had he been educated in some provincial university, better sense would've prevailed.
On Fri, Mar 27, 2009 at 5:36 PM, NUAIMAN <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > 2009/3/26 <[email protected]> > >> Dear All, >> Someone has just alerted me to this petition: >> http://lse-soas.com/index.php Please send it to your academic friends >> (not just LSE/SOAS), colleagues and students.. >> >> I reproduce part of the text of the email I was sent and the statement >> which will accompany your signature: >> >> "You may be aware of the violent, anti-Muslim political >> campaign of Varun Gandhi, a graduate of both LSE and SOAS. His campaign >> -- and the decision to retain him as a candidate -- has been lent validation >> by the fact that he is a graduate of two renowned British universities. Both >> the BJP spokesperson and V. Gandhi's lawyer have used that fact to defend >> his character and promote his candidacy. >> >> A powerful refutation could issue from the institutions themselves -- >> faculty, staff, students and alumni. So we have developed a stand-alone, >> serious online statement to invite signatures. If we obtain a certain >> mass of signatures -- and I'm confident we will -- this petition will run >> widely in the Indian press, and make a strong refutation of hate-politics >> (it has already received mention on ND-TV). In this regard, the signatures >> of recognised scholars will really give it legs." >> >> Statement >> >> We, the faculty, staff, students and alumni of the London School of >> Economics and Political Science (LSE) and the School of Oriental and African >> Studies (SOAS), wish to dissociate our institutions from the values recently >> expressed by the politician Varun Gandhi. *We note with chagrin that >> Varun Gandhi's degrees from these institutions are being used as a testament >> to his ethics and quality as a politician. His statements are antithetical >> to the values promoted by our institutions, and to our beliefs about >> responsible leadership in electoral democracy.* >> >> Varun Gandhi is a young politician whose great-grandfather, grandmother >> and uncle have each been Prime Minister of India. His branch of the family >> is no longer associated with the Indian National Congress, but instead with >> the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He holds degrees from the LSE >> (BSc in Economics) and SOAS (MSc in Sociology). >> >> The general election to India's parliament will be held over the next >> month. Varun Gandhi is currently campaigning as the BJP candidate from >> Pilibhit constituency in Uttar Pradesh. Excerpts from his speeches, widely >> reported and viewable on the internet, include these statements: >> >> - * >> >> "This is the hand of the Lotus [the symbol of the BJP]. After the >> elections, the hand of the Lotus will slit the throat of Muslims." >> * >> - >> >> *"Ask all Hindus to unite if you want to save this area from turning >> into Pakistan."* >> - >> >> *"I am contesting for Hindus. I don't want a single Muslim vote, >> either from Khalistan [the state sought by Sikh separatists; the Congress >> candidate is a Sikh] nor from Pakistan."* >> - >> >> *"If somebody lifts a hand against Hindus, or thinks they are weak, >> there is nobody behind them, then I swear on the Bhagvad Gita that I will >> cut off that hand."* >> >> The Central Election Commission has studied the recordings, found them to >> be genuine, and informed the BJP that it 'expected' Varun Gandhi to be >> dropped as a candidate. Despite this, the BJP national executive has refused >> to cancel Varun Gandhi's candidacy. In doing so, it has given implicit >> endorsement to a kind of electoral campaigning that severely damages the >> fragile social relations between religious communities in India. Uttar >> Pradesh has a long history of violence between religious communities, much >> of it the result of inflammatory political appeals, which have a >> demonstrated role in mobilizing religious pogroms. >> >> By our signature here, we emphatically dissociate our institutional values >> from the ones expressed by Varun Gandhi in the recordings, and condemn his >> statements. >> >> >> >> >> >> Please access the attached hyperlink for an important electronic >> communications disclaimer: >> http://www.lse.ac.uk/collections/secretariat/legal/disclaimer.htm >> > > > > -- > It helps me to organise my mailbox and get through it all faster if you > reply to me by simply hitting 'reply' button and keeping the subject line > the same; please do so if you can, thanks. > > > Dr Caroline Osella, Reader in the Anthropology of South Asia, Undergraduate > Admission tutor, SOAS. > > http://www.soas.ac.uk/staff/staff31568.php > > > > > > --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. 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