Popular Front of Meeting the Challenge of the Times 1 2 Popular Front of India Meeting the Challenge of the Times

Popular Front of India Meeting the Challenge of the Times

are enough reasons for us to be proud of being Indian citizens. India is a dem- There ocratic and secular nation. Our constitution and legal system guarantee equal justice to all citizens and reject all kinds of discrimination. We, the people of India, vote for gov- ernments at the centre and states hoping that they will fulfill these constitutional obligations. But unfortunately around 70% of people in the country do not enjoy fruits of development or growth. Even after 70 years of independence, Muslims remain most backward and underprivileged along with tribals and Dalits. In fact they are victims of targetted discrimination by those who control the levers of power - the ruling class constituted by the corporate capitalists, upper castes and political dynasties of different hues. When basic rights are denied to citizens, it is their duty to stand up and raise their voice for justice. Self initiative only can bring empowerment to any deprived community. This is the idea of Popular Front of India. It was a small beginning. But given the freshness of its message, the Front has spread its wings throughout the length and breadth of this vast country. Simply put, the movement was the right answer to the longings of hapless masses. The Popular Front has right now become the neo-social movement with a cadre network and quite a large number of sympathizers, from to , from to . This people’s movement stands for freedom, justice and security of all sections of the society.

Seeds of renaissance

was in early 1990s that signs of an awakening appeared mainly in Deep South. Small yet It highly motivated groups started to think about survival and empowerment of Muslims and other depressed communities. The victims were called up on to come out of the hellhole of fear and helplessness created by growing Hindutva fascism and its agents in governance. That tur- bulent period saw the rise of two vicious forces spreading their brutal tentacles in the country. On the one side, the ideology of communal fascism was promoted in the name of cultural nationalism. The home-grown fascist forces used their entire strength to divide the Indian society on religious lines. The Ram Janmabhoomi movement launched by Sangh Parivar acted as a catalyst to po- larize the society and it resulted in the demolition of centuries old Babri Masjid on 6th December 1992. This inhuman vandalism was preceded and followed by a wave of anti-Muslim riots in differ- ent states. Thousands of innocent lives were lost in the pogroms engineered by the Sangh Pari- Popular Front of India Meeting the Challenge of the Times 3 var with the help of certain sections of police announce the Popular Front of India at the Em- and paramilitary forces. The Hindutva groups power India Conference held in Bangalore on were successful in gaining the much needed 17th February 2007. It was the new voice of re- political traction out of this dirty game to ac- surgence of not only Muslims but also people quire power. Later even the so-called secular deeply wounded by highly pro-rich and anti- political parties copied their methods and tried poor economic policies. Within next two years, to curry favour with the soft, undercurrents of we saw the message of Popular Front being political Hinduism. Concurrently the imperialist accepted by different organizations from the and Zionist forces were making inroads into the north, east and north-east. This led to further economy of our country. In the name of eco- expansion of the movement at the National nomic reforms, the multinational corporations Political Conference held at Calicut in were given red carpet welcome to our country. 2009. Ignoring the views of millions, the government This journey has been passed by established full diplomatic ties with the terrorist some major milestones. Among them, the state of Israel and tried to join emerging axis of Social Justice Conference held at Ram Leela evil led by US. Maidan, Delhi in November 2011 boosted up expansion in North. The recent Grand Con- Movement against oppression and ferences held in 12 states - “We Also Have exploitation Something to Say “ - have attracted thousands of people across India. events have completely These changed the future course of Empowering mission India. The new road map of development also opened venues for oppression and exploita- fundamental right of any citizen tion of the society, especially of the marginal- The is freedom. But an individual is ized sections like Dalits, tribals and minorities. free only when the nation is free. Corruption, As a pre-emptive measure the stigma of terror- casteism, communalism and neo-liberal de- ism was put on the shoulders of Muslim com- velopment model haunt India and damage munity that had already lost life, dignity, and nation’s fabric of secularism, democracy and meagre belongings in depressingly regular peace. Popular Front focuses on people’s uni- riots. Draconian laws were enacted and used ty for strengthening the fundamentals of Indian for detaining mostly innocent Muslim and tribal constitution that primarily include protection of youth. Fake encounter killings had become a human rights. The Popular Front carries a sus- highly convenient tool in the hands of security tainable, alternate vision of development giving agencies in some states to bump off “undesir- emphasis to equal empowerment of all classes ables”. of people in India. It is reflected in its vibrant Some state level collectives emerged slogan: Naya Caravan, Naya Hindustan. It as a positive response to these challenges. looks forward to an India of Equal Rights These collectives proved to be very dynamic for all Indians. While the neo-colonial and fas- and active in their respective areas and soon cist forces conspire to control the country, the became fore-runners of a cadre-cum-mass Front is creating awareness among the people movement at the national level. to rally for the republic. Harmonious and frater- The neo-social organizations of Kera- nal bonds among different sections of society la, Tamil Nadu and joined hands to are needed for this long drawn out struggle. 4 Popular Front of India Meeting the Challenge of the Times

Thrust Areas services and educational institutions through various agitations. A national campaign was goal of empowering the community, launched to carry this message across the na- The the society and the nation calls for tion. The Front questioned the opposition to a comprehensive initiatives and actions. Popu- Muslim reservation even after the finding of lar Front motivates people at the grass roots to Sachar Committee that they are more back- learn, realize and organize themselves to bring ward than any other community in India. about change among them and in society. This work involves the two equally important tasks: Babri Masjid: memory as first defence The destruction of Babri Masjid was not only a) Networking of cadres: Thousands of mem- an assault on minority rights, but a death blow bers who have joined the Front are organized to secular values of the nation. Popular Front’s into local units and other functional bodies. It Babri Masjid campaign on December 6 every brings commitment and discipline to their lives. year has been very successful in keeping the Various programmes are organized for the demand for the reconstruction of Babri Masjid education and development of members and alive in people’s minds. It is heartening to note leaders at different levels. that this campaign has also gained support from many civil rights and minority organiza- b) Mobilizing of masses: Going beyond the tions. network of cadres, the Front is spreading its message as a mass movement. It plays a lead Celebrating freedom role in taking up the issues and finding solu- Popular Front joins the tions to the people’s problems. It also mobi- celebrations to revive the legacy of our free- lizes masses in right direction on issues of re- dom struggle. The Freedom Parade which was gional and national importance. held as an expression of patriotism in the three southern states for the past several years was Popular Front has given particular atten- stopped by the administration mainly to pre- tion to the following: vent the growth of the organization. It seems • Building self confidence and sense of security somebody could not digest the spectacle of • Fight against human rights violations • Strug- people coming out raising the national flag and gles for social justice • Legal support to inno- singing national anthem. However, the Front cent victims • Calamity relief and rehabilitation continues to be in forefront of the celebrations • Supporting primary education • Scholarship through various other programmes. to poor and meritorious students. Political mo- bilization of marginalized classes • Media and Foundation Day publishing activities • Empowering women and Popular Front Day is being celebrated all over families • Guiding students and youth • Cam- India to commemorate its formal launching as paigning on current social and political issues. a national movement on 17 February 2006. The day witnesses large scale participation of Saga of activism people in the rallies and volunteer parades.

Movement for Reservation Human Rights Day and Anti-torture Day Since the very beginning the movement has Popular Front holds special public programmes taken up the issue of reservation in government on International Human Rights Day (Dec 10) Popular Front of India Meeting the Challenge of the Times 5 and International Anti-torture Day (June 26) for floods in Bihar and Assam. We were among creating awareness about rights violations and the first who reached the region when Bodos torture. It also supports the abolition capital attacked Bengalis. Our volunteers were seen punishment in the country. Its activists associ- engaged in relief work when floods hit Kurnool ate with human rights groups, sponsors fact and and tsunami devastated Kerala finding missions and organizes programmes to and Tamil Nadu coasts. Popular Front of India expose rights violations and atrocities by state was the forefront agency to comfort and aid parties. It runs a dynamic, result-oriented legal the victims when communal riots rocked Mu- defence cell to assist the poor and the mar- zaffarnagar in Western UP in 2013. More than ginalized. Our lawyers are well known for the 40000 families took the benefit. The Front also professional legal help they render. set up a special legal cell in the city to fight cases. Healthy People; Healthy Nation In 2014 immediately after the large scale floods devastated Kashmir Valley, the or- Creating awareness about healthy life style, ganization launched a relief and rehabilitation exercises and yoga are the objectives of the project. Along with the distribution of food and campaign under this banner. This is an annual clothing, 347 winter homes were constructed feature. Distribution of hand books, marathons, and handed over to stranded families in 35 vil- sports meet, demonstration of yoga, health lages. All these timely interventions were pos- camps, blood donation camps, etc. are parts sible because of the generous public contribu- of the campaign. tions.

Campaigns against draconian laws Protests against U. S. and By transforming India into a security state, we Israel aggressions see some government agencies fighting the The Indian government has already given up people in different parts of the country. It is a the policies of non-alignment and anti-impe- shame that we still use black laws like UAPA rialist struggles and is trying to become a re- and AFSPA to strangle legitimate protests. The gional ally to protect US hegemony in Asia. Muslims and the tribal are the prime victims of Prime Minister Narendra Modi never loses an these anti-democratic laws. Thousands of in- opportunity to show his sartorial exuberance nocents are put behind bars on false charges and hug terrorist state leaders whose hands without trial and they waste their lives pend- are dripping with the blood of the innocents. It ing release. Popular Front of India plays a lead is the policy of the Front to inform the people role in the campaigns of ‘Peoples Movement about the neo-colonial aggressions of US and against UAPA’. It is a welcome sign that many Israel and the resultant violation of legitimate organizations and activists that were silent rights of the people of Palestine and other tar- so far have come forward against draconian getted countries. Mass protest programmes laws. were organized in the national capital and in different parts of the country on various occa- Helping hand to calamity victims sions of American and Israeli attacks on other Popular Front volunteers actively engage in re- sovereign countries. When Israel attacked lief and rehabilitation work at times of both nat- Gaza in 2015, Popular Front held nation-wide ural and man-made calamities. We were there solidarity campaign captioned ‘I am Gaza’ offering relief and solace to people affected by which went viral among the new generation. 6 Popular Front of India Meeting the Challenge of the Times

When Israeli PM visited India recently he had in exposing various Hindutva plans and pro- a taste of people’s anger. grammes.

Legal aid Community Development Providing legal aid to the under-trials in jails The members undertake community develop- and the rehabilitation of the victims of riots are ment activities as part of their routine agenda. some of the activities the organization usually They provide help to the needy people in vari- takes up. The Front has a well respected net- ous fields such as economy, education and work of human rights lawyers to provide legal health through activities ranging from distribu- aid to the people in need. tion of food or school kits to providing drinking water or home to homeless. Support to positive politics School Chalo is a seminal national lev- A neo-social movement cannot leave politics el educational campaign started in 2012 aiming to those agents of corruption and communal- to eradicate illiteracy and prevent school drop- ism. Everybody knows that the major political outs. Survey and identification of deprived chil- parties are involved in direct or indirect exploi- dren, creating educational awareness among tation of the poor and the marginalized major- the parents, spreading the message of im- ity. Even the left and Dalit/BC centred parties portance of education, distributing school kits are no exception. Popular Front has been containing books and other study materials are supporting a positive political transformation some of the tasks involved in the campaign. In that would take power to people and people 2017, School Chalo National Campaign cov- to power. ered 16 states, 69 districts and 27, 362 school kits have been distributed at the cost of Rs. Broad based alliances 1,28,69,548. In 2016 and 2015, the number The organization has taken steps to build kits distributed were 33,267 and 44,360 and a broad-based alliance of different minority the amount spent were Rs. 1,38,45,562 and and civil rights leaders and groups against gro Rs. 1,54, 64,390 respectively. wing authoritarian and communal tendencies. For the past six years, Popular Front The People’s Movement Against UAPA, the of India has been providing higher education Sikh - Muslim Mission for communal harmony, scholarship for the meritorious needy students. the joint platform that commemorates anti-Sikh In the academic year 2016-17, Loan Scholar- riots of 1984 and Babri Masjid demolition of ship amount of Rs. 1,26,38,550 was disbursed 1992 are few such recent steps. among 1,785 students. In 2015-16, 1,304 students received the scholarship amount of Exposing fascism total worth Rs. 1,10,04,500. India as a secular democratic nation is at cross roads under the BJP government since 2014. Demonization in full swing Under the garb of slogans such as develop- The poor has always been a threat to those ment, good governance and clean India, the who monopolize power. Popular Front of In- sectarian agenda of Sangh Parivar is being dia has been crucial in diverting the pain and mplemented misusing the state machinery. protest of a perpetually persecuted commu- The republic has become a nation notorious nity towards democratic struggles. Our call for lynching, vitriolic vilification and catastroph- for the total empowerment of the Muslims and ic economic policies. Popular Front is engaged others turned out to be a burning sore in the Popular Front of India Meeting the Challenge of the Times 7 eyes of the powers that be. They weave lies from the public for various programmes. about Popular Front and leak them selectively The government, from time to time, publi to the pliant pen pushers in the media. Saffron shes the names of many religious and non- agents inside the administration and police religious organizations that receive funds from join hands with the print media and the televi- foreign agencies. Such funds are mostly used sion to unleash the well-planned propaganda to promote sectarian agenda or to build up against the Front. All quote “reliable” or “intel- personal fortunes. Those who do not raise a ligence” sources to peddle any nonsense. It is single finger against such activities try to sti- part of the game and the purpose is to tarnish fle Popular Front by fabricating false stories this people’s movement. But the truth always against it. prevails. Popular Front has never been found Government interest need not be responsible, at any stage of the enquiries, for national interest always. Criticizing the poli- any acts that were carried out to destabilize cies of the government is not an anti-national the country. No Popular Front activist is there activity. Development of all classes of people is among the accused, jailed or booked for mass fundamental to real democracy. The attempts murder or genocide while many saffron lead- to frame groups that struggle for the empow- ers are biding their time in jails. erment of the backward classes and minori- One allegation is that Popular Front is ties are not born out of patriotism. Minority communal and extremist. The right to organize witch-hunt is a time-tested technique used by democratically for the empowerment of a com- fascism. munity is constitutional. Popular Front has not been part of any activities that are generally Together for a bright future described as terrorist. Yet, RSS is known to The mission of Popular Front of India is to en- have massacred thousands of people with the support of the state. Even leftists like CPI (M) able the marginalized and deprived classes to are notorious for eliminating people who leave stand on their own feet in order to strive for the party or who oppose its policies. Congress- a bright future. The present victory of sectar- men in many states carry the stigma of mass ian forces does not mean that Indian people murder. But none of them carry the label of ter- are succumbing to chauvinism and exclusive rorism. The “terrorist-militant” is one of easiest nationalism. All tyrannies of the past have ulti- and convenient labels used to suppress legiti- mately gone to the dust bin of history. And final mate struggle for equality and justice. This is victory is always with the oppressed masses. being done to keep people away from organi- Instead of cursing darkness, let each one of us zations working for people’s rights. light a candle. Thousands of such small flames together will eventually provide light enough to Transparent finance move forward on the path of empowerment Some people raise questions about the funds and dignity. Let us throw away the veil of pes- of Popular Front. They find the answer them- simism and instill the spirit of optimism instead. selves and say that that it is nothing but foreign A pessimist will see difficulties in any opportu- fund. They, in fact, are ridiculing the Popular nity, while an optimist will see an opportunity Front activists who contribute a certain portion in any difficulty. There is light at the end of the of their monthly income to the organization. tunnel, but we have to keep our eyes open to The financial source of Popular Front is this con see it. tribution, the annual public collection during the Who can prevent the Indian people from living month of Ramadan, and the money collected up to their democratic spirit.!!