Constitution under threat; people’s movements need of the hour, says G. Haragopal

Advocate at the Supreme Court of India Shahrukh Alam, social activists Medha Patkar, Ashish Kothari, Sonam Wangchuk, Bela Bhatia, G. Haragopal and Rosemary Dzuvichu at the inaugural panel discussion of all India convention of National Alliance of People’s Movements in Hyderabad on Saturday.
| Photo Credit: G. RAMAKRISHNA

Human rights activist G. Haragopal here on Saturday (March 1) said the Constitution, which gave people their values, was under threat.

“The State promotes neoliberalism, which is selfish, as complete and successful, while being selfless is weak and incomplete. Destruction of institutions of human relations and depletion of natural resources are promoted as ‘for development’,” he said while speaking at the inaugural session of all India convention of National Alliance of People’s Movements (NAPM).

People’s movements, which resisted authoritarianism and ensured that society remained humane, were the need of the hour, he said.

On the panel, renowned social activists such as Medha Patkar, Bela Bhatia, Rosemary Dzuvichu, Ashish Kothari, Sonam Wangchuk shared their experiences and wished for solidarity to address structural and systemic oppressions.

According to environmental activist Mr. Kothari, Chhattisgarh Mukti Morcha founder Shankar Guha Niyog’s call “Sangarsh aur Nirman” or ‘engage in struggle but reconstruct a new society’ needed to be the way forward. He also spoke about radical democracy, economic diversity, social justice, environment and liguistic and knowledge diversity.

Ms. Dzuvichu of Nagaland University presented a picture of Nagaland and its people’s aspirations and rights; the militarisation of the region; free movement regime; and Indo-Myanmar border fencing. She sought solidarity for peace in Manipur and against racial discrimination and persecution of Christians and their places of worship.

Ms. Alam, citing provisions in Uttarakhand’s Uniform Civil Code for registering live-in relationships, remarks of body shaming by court, sloganeering that can result in imprisonment, pointed at “extreme judicial indifference.”

From Ladakh, Mr. Sonam Wangchuk of Students’ Educational and Cultural Movement explained constitutional measures that are necessary to protect their land, culture and environment. The BJP in 2019 promised inclusion of Ladakh in the Sixth Schedule but failed to deliver on it, he said.