*Uphold Sustainable Development!*
*Condemn `Foreign Funded’ Destructive Development Promoted by IB!*
We, the following organizations and individuals are deeply shocked at the
dubious methods used by the Intelligence Bureau of the Home Ministry of
India, to discredit many important social activists in this country who
have committed their lives in social action for years. For a long time,
these activists have consistently questioned the destructive path of
development India is following and have demanded a model of sustainable and
equitable development which does not harm the environment, local
communities, culture and the future generations.
For obvious reasons, the IB has selected activists connected with issues
like POSCO, genetically modified food, nuclear energy, etc and branded
these as `development for the nation’ and those activists who question the
un-sustainability, environmental implications, the impact on livelihood of
thousands people and other social costs of such `proven disasters’ have
been named `foreign funded’ activists trying to block India’s development.
We condemn the IB report on the following reasons:
1. IB report is a calculated character assassination attempt on a
large number of credible activists in this country including Admiral
Ramdas, Justice P K Mishra, Medha Patkar, Dr. SP Udayakumar, Achin Vanaik,
Praful Bidwai, Prashant Paikray, K. P Sasi, Dr. Surendra Gadekhar, Babloo
Loitongbam, Lalita Ramdas, Late Banwarilal Sharma, Late Fr. Tom Kochery,
Aarti Chokshi, M G Devasahayam, Aruna Rodrigues, Kavita Kuruganti and
others. We understand that Narendra Modi is planning to execute a major
corporate agenda of destroying India’s land, water and forests and since
thousands of crores of rupees have been used from the corporate sector for
his election campaign, there is an urgency to sell off India to the
corporate interests. Therefore, this slander campaign is only to clear the
ground to benefit the Indian and foreign multinational interests.
2. We strongly oppose the use of the term `foreign’ to describe
credible activists of this country. We consider it as only a political
gimmick to facilitate the real `foreign’ interests.
3. Among the issues mentioned is POSCO which is already discredited
very badly in India and abroad and this multinational company is investing
one of the largest `foreign’ investments of Rs. 54,000 Crores, causing
large scale livelihood problems and displacement of tens of thousands of
fisher folk, farmers, Dalits and Adivasis. This `foreign funded’ project is
also violating all norms of existing laws of protection of the forests
under the Forest Rights Act and protection of the coastal lands under
Coastal Regulation Zone Notification and many rights of women and children.
The draconian project is also responsible for throwing over hundred bombs
on the struggling villagers and over 100 people have been shot in peaceful
protests. We extend our full solidarity and support of the local villagers
against this `mega foreign funded’ project.
4. Among the other issues mentioned, the people’s movement against
Koodankulam nuclear plant is noteworthy. Perhaps the IB should check the
developments of nuclear plants in Japan, Germany, the United States and
other countries and explore the reasons for why they are closing down the
operations on nuclear energy due to large scale social and environmental
disasters followed by large scale protests of people against such
destructive developmental projects even in these `foreign’ countries whose
nuclear technology is more advanced than what is there in India. IB should
also understand that the immediate effects of radiation due to Koodankulam
nuclear plants will be on southern Tamil Nadu, Southern Kerala and Northern
Kerala and if the IB officers wish to lead a lead life without cancer and
genetic disorders for their children and their own future generations, it
is most advisable that they remove their officials from this `foreign’
initiated nuclear plant disposing their outdated technologies wth the help
of politicians. The IB should have the minimum intelligence to understand
that if you have cancer and down syndrome due to radiation from any
`foreign’ installation like Chernobyl, Fukushima,Three Mile Island or a
nuclear plant in Koodankulam, the health effects and the environmental
impacts are similar. We hereby extend our full solidarity to the struggle
of the brave villagers of Koodankulam under the leadership of Dr. SP Uday
Kumar.
5. The other issue which is mentioned in the report is GM
(Genetically Modified)) crops. The hazards of such crops are well known in
India as well as abroad. The interests of such development is only for the
`foreign’ multinationals like Monsanto. While the IB has assumed all these
destructive projects as `national interests’, it has conveniently ignored
the objections to GM crops by the Moratorium Orders of Shri Jairam Ramesh,
the Parliamentary Standing Committee Report and the Supreme Court-appointed
Technical Expert Committee Report (TEC) because they have found that GM
crops have little to contribute to Indian agriculture, safe food and food
security in this country. We bring to your notice that IB has no business
to indirectly facilitate a foreign multinational company like Monsanto and
malign the credibility of activists who are questioning the large scale
potential disaster to this nation due to GM crops.
6. The document of IB report which was classified as a `secret
report’ was released by the IB itself to the press with an agenda to
malign, scandalize and create a character assassination of credible
activists in this country. We strongly condemn such dubious methods.
7. As far as the few NGOs mentioned are concerned, it is clear that
the IB has conveniently selected them due to their stands on the above
issues and it has nothing to do with foreign fund. The Intelligence Bureau
knows that there are over 40,000 NGOs operating in this country and they
never objected to the visit of Narendra Modi for blessings to one of the
largest foreign funded NGO under Mata Amritandamayi, a well known hub of
RSS activists. IB had no problem when even BBC reported that large scale
foreign fund was diverted by the NGO called Vanavasi Kalyan Kendra, another
hub of the Sangh Parivar, for the brutal murder of over 2000 innocent
Muslims in Gujarat. Therefore, it is obvious that the IB is facilitating a
political game rather than serving any national interest.
8. We also would like to bring to your notice that the space for
criticisms on any Government is a crucial space which is fundamental to any
democracy. What the IB is attempting to do is only to block this important
critical space which is against all national interests.
9. We are aware that thousands of crores of rupees are regularly
being spent on the intelligence agencies in this country and such financial
resources collected from the tax payers’ money in this country is
ultimately getting used against the rights of the citizens of this country.
The present IB report is a classic example. We demand a drastic cut of such
financial resources which are regularly used against the rights of the
minorities, Dalits, Adivasis, the people’s movements and activists in this
country for the preservation and sustainance of democracy. We also demand
that all the financial resources used by the intelligence agencies be
brought under public audit and be reported to the Indian Parliament so that
such institutions also realize that there is a public accountability which
rests on them.
10. We demand that immediate action on all those officials be undertaken
for executing such criminal behavior and misusing their official powers.
Due to all the above reasons, we are convinced that the IB report is only a
politically motivated instrument of the vested interests in this country.
We strongly condemn the public use of IB against activists, people’s
movements and credible journalists.
We appeal to all members of the civil society to condemn the IB report and
strengthen the people’s movements for they are the only source and hope for
the survival of our future, despite the interventions of irresponsible
politicians and irresponsible intelligence departments.
We appeal to all members of the civil society to uphold sustainable and
equitable development, no matter what the authorities speak of destructive
foreign motivated development as `national interest’!
We appeal to all members of the civil society to speak up against the
suppression of critical voices, without which in the final analysis,
freedom of all individuals will be at stake very soon.
1. Prof. Romila Thapar
2. Dr. Mallika Sarabhai, artist and activist
3. Mahesh bhat - film director, producer
4. Maj Gen (Retd) S.G.Vombatkere
5. Vrinda Grover - Lawyer - Supreme Court of India
6. Anand Patwardhan
7. Buddhadev Dasgupta.eminent filmmaker.
8. Goutam Ghosh (film maker)
9. Prof KN Panikkar
10. Aruna Roy
11. Sandeep Pande, activist
12. Sadanand Menon, art critic, journalist.
13. Dr(Brig)R S Rajan (Director , Vivekananda Institute for Leadership
Development, Mysore)
14. Dr P M Bhargava (Former and Founder Director,Centre for Cellular &
Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad, Former Vice-Chairman, National
Knowledge Commission; Former Member, National Security Advisory Board;
Government of India)
15. K. Satchidanhandan, Ex Chairperson, Kendra Sahitya Academi
16. Prof. Anjali Monteiro
17. Teesta Setalvad
18. Prof. K.P. Jayasankar
19. J Devika
20. Kedar Misra (well known poet and journalist from orissa)
21. Ram Puniyani
22. Manisha Sethi, Associate Professor. Jamia Milia Islamia Univesity
23. Ambrose Pinto
24. Sudhir Patnaik, editor/journalist
25. Ramdas Rao , PUCL, Karnataka,
26. R.P. Amudhan, Film Maker
27. P Baburaj
28. Prafulla Samantara
29. BRP Bhaskar
30. Civic Chandran
31. KR Mohan, former Chairperson, Kerala Chalachitra Academi
32. Gopal Menon
33. B. Suresh (film Director in Kannada & play writer)
34. Fr . Jimmy c. dabhi (Human development and research centre)
35. K R Seshadri
36. Syed Tanveeruddin, Environmental/Green, RTI, Human Rights and Social
Activist, Mysore
37. G R Vidyaranya, Social & RTI Activist, Media Coordinator, Aam Aadmi
Party, Mysore Dist
38. Dr. TT Sreekumar ,Associate Professor and Chair, Fellows Programme in
Management - Communications (FPM-C) Mudra Institute of Communications,
Ahmedabad
39. Leena Manimekalai, Poet, Filmmaker
40. Amar Kanwar - film maker
41. Dr. Vinod Vyasulu
42. Sampad Mohapatra -Journalist,Odisha
43. Pradosh Pattanaik., Journalist, Ex Editor of "The Samaja ",premier odia
daily.
44. Bhabani Charan Pattanaik.-Freedom Fighter and Ex Rajyasabha member.
45. Rabi Das-Senior Journalist ,Odisha.
46. Dr. Vijayamma
47. Jagadish Chandra
48. Sohini Dasgupta, filmmaker.
49. Dr. Swarajit Jana, social activist.
50. Malini Bhattacharya, ex MP.
51. Prof. Mihir Bhattacharya.
52. Raja Sen, filmmaker
53. Sadique Hossain, Yuva Sahitya Academy Award Winner Author.
54. Bidyarthi Chatterji, film Critic.
55. S. N. M.Abdi, journalist.
56. Ashok Viswanathan, filmmaker.
57. Subhodip Maitra, writer,journalist,cultural activist.
58. Sunanda Mukhopadhyay, Chairperson - West Bengal Women's Commission.
59. Soumitra Dastidar, documentary maker,columnist.
60. Sudarshana Chakraborty, Journalist,documentary maker.
61. Shabnam Hashmi
62. Prof A Aarx - writer, critic.
63. P Sasikumar, film maker, actor, tv anchor.
64. T V Chandran - film maker.
65. Prof. Moidul Islam.
66. Prof. Barnali Ghosh
67. Arundhati Duru, activist
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