Time is most opportune for anti communal forces to unite says Antony

The former defence minister and three times Chief Minister of Kerala, A.K. Antony appealed to all the democratic and progressive forces of the country to unite and come on one platform to collectively counter the increasing onslaught of communal forces and divisive tendencies in the country, as the time is ripe to do so.

Expressing his serious concern over the spree of communal disturbances, caste conflicts and appeasement of the majority community to polarise communal feelings in the name of religion and saffronisation, Antony said : the urgent need of the hour is to effectively counter these ill concieved designs and notions, hell bent upon dividing the society in the name of begetting votes to remain in power by flaring uo communal passions.

The Congress leader A.K. Antony was addressing the audience at the inaugural session of the HN Bahuguna Centenary celebrations at Constitution Club, New Delhi on his 100th Birthday on 25th April organised by the HN Bahuguna Centenaru Celebrations Committee.

Extremely serious, Antony said: reports are pouring in everyday about the oppression of the minorities, SC STs and the people of the lowest ebb of the society. There have been constant attempts to divide the the society in the name of religion and majoritarianism for attaining political power against which late HN Bahuguna fought tooth and nail. He strongly emphasised that the towering political stalwart HN Bahuguna’s ideology, his strong secular credentials and ethos, today stand most relevant.

Revealing his close association with the late leader since 1969, a leader of immense integrity Antony said that HN Bahuguna was a true source of inspiration to him and many such leaders of the present time who visited Kerala when he was merely the Youth Congress State Chief and inspired them towards secularism and unity in diversity.

Terming HN Bahuguna as the tallest leader of the country, Antony said that HN Bahuguna was the fearless and courageous leader who had the guts to oppose Indira Gandhi tooth and nail against the imposition of emergency and who always preferred to sacrifice power and positions including ministerial berths for the sake of principles and ethics in public life.

The former general secretary of CPM and currently its polit bureau member Prakash Karat said HN Bahuguna never compromised on secular and democratic principles and opposed emergency by not only resigning himself from the ruling Congress Party, giving up the powerful positions but had also convinced the then defence minister Babu Jagjiwan Ram to leave Congress thus giving tremendous momentum to the JP’s movement of total revolution, ultimately leading to the formation of Janata Party.

Karat said its the nation’s misfortune that the country has lost a powerful secular leader at the time when the nation needed him the most. Praising Bahuguna for his incessant struggle against injustice and communal dis harmony in the country Karat said that Bahuguna fought against skyrocketting inflation, communalism, monopolistic tendencies and the capitalists thus consistently feeling concerned for the poor, hapless, backwards, down troddens and the minorities. Today, the nation feels his outright absence. He said Bahuguna was the symbol of syncretic and composite culture and believed in a liberal and progressive society bereft of communal violence and reactionery forces.

The Janata Dal ( Secular) leader Sharad Yadav while paying his rich tributes, rated Bahuguna as one of the tallest leaders of Indian politics who confronted Indira Gandhi against draconion emergency and created a tremendous momentum for the formation of the Janata Party government in 1977 when not a single leader within and outside Congress had the courage to speak a single word of rebellion against her.

He not only accorded Jai Prakash Narayan a red carpet welcome in Uttar Pradesh while he was the chef minister but also campaigned all over India extensively against the emergency. He praised the Bahuguna followers and in particular the HN Bahuguna Centenary Celebrations Committee Convenor Neelalohitadasan Nadar for organising the year long celebrations in various parts of the country and urged upon all to fearlessly propagate Bahuguna’s ideals and preachings for secular and united India nationally, in the coming days and months.

Senior Congress leader Dr. PC Chacko appealed to all the Bahugunites to fight the increasing onslaught of communalism in the country tooth and nail and work for a strong, viable and cohesive India believing in amity and communal harmony.

Prominent amongst those who spoke on the ocassion were ZK Faizan, Sr. Advocate Supreme Court, Ex MP and staunch Bahugunite Harikesh Bahadur, Dr. Neela Lohitadasan Nadar, President of Uttarakhand Journalists Forum n Chief Cordinator of HN B Centenary Celebrations Committee Sunil Negi, journalists Umakant Lakhera, Professor JP Bahuguna, Journalist Suresh Nautiyal, Vinod Nautiyal, Dr. Surya Prakash Semval, VC M. Lukman, Dr. Idreesh Qureshi, Subhash Lakhera, Rais Ahmed Siddiquie, sports commentator and others.
SUNIL NEGI, PRESIDENT, UTTARAKHAND JOURNALISTS FORUM