Vakola Rock Concert & Shabnam Hashmi resigns

Vakola Christmas Rock Concert

ANNOUNCEMENT: Today – St. Anthony Church, Vakola, Santacruz (E) – in collaboration with the Diocesan Youth Centre and Mumbai based Christian Rock Band ‘Open Secret’ – invites you to ‘O COME ALL YE FAITHFUL’, a concert aimed at putting Christ back into Christmas. Relive the meaning and mystery of the Nativity through this one-of-its-kind worship experience.

Date: Saturday, December 29, 2012Time: 7.30 – 10 pmVenue: St. Anthony Church Grounds, Vakola, Santacruz (E)

To know more, get on to the band page at: facebook.com/opensecretofficialpage

– frs. clarence & lawrence

New Delhi, December 28, 2012: Shabnam Hashmi, renowned socio-political activist, has resigned from all UPA government committees in protest against what she called “connivance” of the leading UPA partner to make sure the victory of BJP in Gujarat.

In a statement released to the media, she begins by saying, “I feel deeply disturbed at the betrayal of the hard work and faith of the thousands of activists who worked in Gujarat against the dictatorship and the fascist regime of NarendraModi and also crores of Gujaratis who voted against Modi in the assembly election.”

She adds, “There was a strong anti-Modi wave but suddenly everything changed between December 15 evening and 17th morning…the overnight reversal and the following victory of the communal –fascist regime was not possible without the connivance of the political party that leads the UPA.”
As a protest against the betrayal of the aspirations of the marginalized people of Gujarat to throw out the Modi regime, Hashmi said she is resigning from all UPA government committees that she has been part of so far.
The statement says she has accordingly sent her resignations from the membershipsof :Maulana Azad Education Foundation, Ministry of Minority Affairs, CABE (Central Advisory Board of Education), NMCME (National Monitoring Committee for Minority Education) and NLM Council (National Literacy Mission) MHRD and Assessment and Monitoring Authority, Planning Commission of India.
She appealed to the nation, political parties and media to introspect and conduct an independent investigation into the Gujarat Verdict 2012 and to look at especially the presence of foreign diplomats and journalists in Gujarat just before the elections.
She has also demanded that use of EVM machines should be abandoned in any future elections.

ShabnamHashmi added, “If Gujarat was used as the laboratory of the hate ideology it can also be used as the laboratory of undermining the democracy in India.”

For past 30 years ShabnamHashmi has been working as social and political activist. She had started Act Now for Harmony and Democracy (ANHAD) in the wake of the 2002 Gujarat pogrom and has since been working for harmony and peace.

For past couple of months she was camping in Gujarat and running a campaign Bole Gujarat (Gujarat speaks).

 

Time for Congress Party to do some soul searching: Shabnam Hashmi

Shabnam Hashmi, renowned socio-political activist and founding Director of ANHAD, today resigned from all UPA government committees in protest against what she called “connivance” of the leading UPA partner to make sure the victory of BJP in Gujarat.

Shabnam Hashmi spoke over phone with Ismail Khan giving her first reaction.

TCN: What made you think that the Congress played a role in Modi’s victory?

SH: There was so severe anti-Modi wave that, on December 16 local news channels started telecasting reports of nervous Modi shifting his files away from the secretariat. Congress leaders were also enthusiastic in their campaigns. Then suddenly whole scenario changed. Congress party’s zeal died down and next day Narendra Modi comes out like an already declared champ and announces his victory.

TCN: In your official statement you mentioned about foreign diplomats visiting Gujarat…

SH: Many foreign agencies, including US internal agencies were present during the time of elections in Gujarat. They could have tempered with electronic voting machines (EVM’s) and the presence of foreign agencies during election period couldn’t have happened without the convenience of UPA central Govt.

TCN: Why would Congress party do such an act of supporting their biggest rival as alleged by you?

SH: There could be many reasons, like they might want to keep secular forces at national level stick to them as their savior, by using the image of Modi in Gujarat. At the end of the day Congress is also a political party.

TCN: There was an overwhelming feeling before the elections that Modi will win as predicted by many mainstream media outlets, what makes you think differently?

SH: I worked in Gujarat as a social activist during 2002 and 2007 elections; the wave of anti-incumbency was severe this time against Modi. Gujarat was different during this election; there were protests in rural Gujarat from farmers and other workers. Many Guajarati’s voted against him contrary to the perception created, even the urban middle class voted against him.

As far as predictions of corporate media are concern they were supportive of Modi for a long time, it doesn’t surprise meif they predicted his win.

TCN: After this resignation what is your next step?

SH: Well I have done my bit as a citizen of India to shake the conscience of the Indian society. Now it’s time for the Congress party to do some soul searching.

-tcn