If We Do Not Rise… #ਜੇਕਰਅਸੀਂਉੱਠੇਨਹੀਂਤਾ ….Hum agar uthhe nahin toh… on September 5, 2020
More than 500 women’s groups, transgender, queer collectives and human rights organisations across the country are organizing the If We Do Not Rise.. #ਜੇਕਰਅਸੀਂਉੱਠੇਨਹੀਂਤਾ. (Hum agar uthhe nahin toh…) campaign on September 5, 2020. The day marks the third anniversary of the assassination of Gauri Lankesh.
Gauri, as everybody knows was an extraordinary journalist and activist who fearlessly fought
against what she considered to be the growing fascism in politics and public life that was
destroying the very spirit and soul of this nation. And paid for her right to dissent and her right
to be human and humane, with her life.
Inspired by her courage of conviction and fearless spirit, this campaign is aimed at uniting
voices against targeted attacks on the constitutional rights of the people of India.
For India is currently facing an onslaught on its constitutional principles on all fronts as never
before. Economic policy increasingly favours private capital on the one hand while ignoring the
unorganised sector of production and services which forms the majority of our economy.
Labour rights and welfare have been abandoned in favour of ease of business for corporations.
Environmental laws are seeing changes which favour large development projects sacrificing
sustainability.
Increasing social and cultural polarisation and the targeted lynching of minority communities
who have been constantly at the receiving end of hate and offensive speech has pushed them
to live in a constant state of fear. The growth of fascist forces and the resulting rise of violence
in society have deeply impacted the lives of women and the members of transgender and
queer communities. The Constitution is also seeing changes in most fundamental ways like the
CAA that seeks to deny citizenship on the basis of religion and abrogation of Art. 370 that has
incarcerated the whole of Kashmir in the name of including it’s people into the mainstream of
India.
The dilution of the Right to Information Act has hit at the fundamental democratic right of
citizens to question the government and hold it accountable. The last few years, have
witnessed a frontal attack on the freedom of expression guaranteed by the Constitution – the
right to dress, speak, write, eat and choose one’s religion– which has also impacted the rights
of women and the transgender and queer communities. Voices of dissent have been
systematically silenced and labelled anti-national. Activists, journalists and academics engaged
in various movements are languishing in jails, without access to the legal provision of bail. The
Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (2019) has been amended and used to implicate, intimidate
dissenters and arrest them.
There has been a steady deterioration in the rule of law with alarming cases of police excesses,
including custodial deaths.
Regressive laws like the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act have adversely
impacted the rights of Transgender persons. There are very few provisions in place to protect
the safety and rights of the entire transgender and queer communities. There have also been
several moves to dilute SC/ST/OBC reservations and the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act.
Violence against women is increasing with impunity and instead of ensuring proper budgetary
allocation and strict implementation of existing laws to prevent crimes, the central government
is setting up a new Task Force to bring in amendments to the Criminal Procedure Code at a
time when no public consultation or parliamentary debates is possible
The COVID 19 crisis has further exposed the apathetic and anti-poor policies of the
government in power. The lockdown has pushed the already existing crisis of joblessness to
catastrophic proportions. Informal sector workers, a large section of whom are women, have
had their livelihood destroyed. The crisis has exposed the dismal state of the country’s public
health system and unfortunately the impact of this is being felt by the frontline workers
against the pandemic including Asha and Anganwadi workers as also the Pourakarmikas.
Gender based violence and caste based atrocities against Dalits have risen sharply during the
lockdown.
Women, transgender, queer and human rights organisation have been at the forefront of the
movement to save India’s Constitution. As Dr. B.R. Ambedkar said, “However good a
Constitution may be, if those who are implementing it are not good, it will prove to be bad.
However bad a Constitution may be, if those implementing it are good, it will prove to be
good.” It is incumbent on us, We the People, today to protect and uphold our Constitution.
Constitutional morality as espoused by George Grote, an English political radical and classical
historian and interpreted by Dr. Ambedkar defines the nature of relationship between the
people and the State, where political actors are obliged to adhere to the Constitution in public
life and conduct themselves accordingly. We live in times when the State and political actors
including the judiciary have abandoned this obligation and whose references are books outside
the Constitutional framework. Today, again, we are here with a wake-up call to the people of
India: stand up, speak up against the onslaught on peoples’ constitutional and democratic
rights.
As part of the campaign, thousands of individuals and groups are coming together across the
country to raise their voices on the issues mentioned both on-line and on the ground.
As part of the campaign we will also be releasing factsheets on various themes including
violence against women, transgender people, health, political participation of women, migrant
workers, women farmers and sex workers.
In Punjab and Chandigarh too, 35 groups are coming together across the districts to do both local and online actions as stated above. These will specifically include:
1. The release of a state charter of demands that will be sent to the CM focussing on
issues that could be addressed by the government in power.
2. Local level action of protests and presentation of charter of demands including very
local and specific concerns to local authorities, DM, local politicians etc
3. We will have an online Punjabi Cultural Festival- Samay Nal Samwad , Films , Plays and Poetry from 9am to 9pm om Facebook.
4. Video clips of women from different sectors sharing their stories of struggle, including
women farmers, daily wagers, garment workers, migrant workers, sex workers and
others.
5. FB lives from across the state from people of all walks of life, students, activists,
professionals, celebrities etc.
We will stand together to defend our Constitution and our democracy.
KAMAYANI BALI MAHABAL, PUnjab Coordimatpr pf the campaign
