From: Faowindia Dear Friends,
This year on 1st January 2017, there is planned commemoration of 200 years of a historical event that Dalits in Maharashtra celebrate as a moment of collective pride. On January 1, 1818, a small army of the British East India Company succeeded in thwarting the advance of the forces of Peshwa Baji Rao II into Pune despite being outnumbered three to one. Over the past several decades, this “victory” in the Battle of Bhima Koregaon has become an important symbol of Dalit assertion in Maharashtra. In the Dalit narrative, the East India Company’s force on that day was made up largely of soldiers from the Dalit Mahar community, who waged a war for “freedom” from the castiesm of the Peshwas, who were upper caste Brahmins. The coming New Year’s Day is special — being the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Bhima Koregaon. Prakash Ambedkar, BRP, Prashant Dontha of the Ambedkar Students’ Association, Soni Sori, Ulka Mahajan , Justice P B Sawant, Jignesh Mevani, Bhim Army party leaders are invited to speak at this rally. Dalit groups from all districts of Maharashtra and outside have been mobilising people for the conference. Along with that Maulana Abdul Hamid Azhari, national secretary of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board is also invited as a speaker . We have written to the organizers of the meeting presenting our concern, now we post the same here. Dear Saathis In this momentous historic occasion commemorating the 200 years of Bhima Koregaon victory over the Brahminical Peshwai rule, we (FAOW and other groups, individuals) join in solidarity with this platform of organizations of workers, farmers, Dalits, tribals, minorities, students, youth, women, employees, cultural groups, journalists, intellectuals, progressive persons, coming together to challenge the brahminical, capitalist, and patriarchal tendencies of the current political dispensation. We express our solidarity and participation in this coming together of all anti-brahminical and anti-fascist collectives and movements. We join in the maitri-bhav that Dr. Babasaheb Ambekdar proposed for any meaningful struggle of politics of coalition. All of us who are participating in this commemoration have been and are supporters of each others' struggles for self respect, dignity, equality, justice and freedom. As mentioned in the letter we also in our own politics acknowledge the differences amongst us and the self-reflexivity and self-criticism expressed which goes a long way in consolidating our strength in struggle. Since we have common cause in our struggle against capitalism, casteism, patriarchy, we are dismayed that as part of the panel of speakers the National Secretary of All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) has been invited. We are sure that you are aware of the extremely negative and destructive role that AIMPLB has played and continues to play in denying equal rights and justice to women from Muslim community. They continue to advocate, even in recent Supreme Court matter ( challenging unilateral talaq, halala and polygamy) customs and regulations which deny women from Muslim community basic human rights and equality guaranteed by Indian constitution. In doing so, they stand in oppositions to women’s organizations struggling for gender justice, and display the same patriarchal, brahminical thinking which weakens Women’s struggle for equality and justice.. ***We are all comrades in the struggle against the forces of oppression, and exploitation therefore inviting the Secretary of AIMPLB goes against the very notion of equality, freedom and justice which we all uphold. In fact inviting them to share the stage along with speakers like Soni Sori and Ulka Mahajan it provides them undeserved legitimacy.*** We undersigned, urge you to rethink and reconsider this invitation to the National Secretary of All India Muslim Personal Law Board. In solidarity Forum Against Oppression of Women Forum Against Oppression of Women, Bombay 29, Bhatia Bhuvan, Babrekar Marg, Gokhale Road, Dadar (West) Bombay -4000 28 -- Peace Is Doable -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send an email to [email protected]. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
