UK members of Parliament agree to an Early Day Motion to the House of Commons "to bring Modi to justice"
By Our Representative The Awaaz Network and Monitoring Group of the United Kingdom organized a controversial meeting at UK Parliament urging parliamentarians to “bring Modi to justice.” A statement issued following the meeting said, among those who agreed with this view "included" members of Parliament John McDonnell (Hayes and Harlington) and Jeremy Corbyn (Islington North). This apart, the meeting received messages from British barrister and human rights campaigner and Mike Wood, MP for Balley. The statement quoted Mike Wood in the message as saying, “I extend my whole-hearted support for prosecuting Modi not least for the communal violence in the state of Gujarat in 2002 which claimed so many innocent lives including that of my constituents and their driver. He should remain banned from this country irrespective of the results of the upcoming Indian elections until he has been brought to account for his actions in fermenting racial and religious violence and bigotry”. “An Early Day Motion to the House of Commons was announced, and a delegation of MPs to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office asking that there should be no engagement with him until he has been held legally accountable for his role in the violence. The meeting also heard that action is underway for an international tribunal on genocide in Gujarat”, the statement read.
The Monitoring Group message said, “Two of Yusuf Dawood’s brothers, on holiday in India twelve years ago, were brutally killed during horrific communal violence against Muslims in Gujarat in 2002. Over 1,500 died (including three British nationals), hundreds of women were raped and 200,000 people driven from their homes”, claiming, the speakers were head at a “packed meeting” on February 26, “focusing on the role of Narendra Modi, chief minister of Gujarat and prime ministerial candidate for the far-right BJP in India’s forthcoming elections.” It added, “Messages of support were received from many individuals and organisations including Sir Anish Kapoor, an Indian sculptor who is one of the world’s most eminent artists.” Kapoor wrote, “I am deeply grateful that you are doing this. We are in a moment of great danger and your call to our sense of justice is much needed”. “There is international consensus that Narendra Modi was responsible for the 2002 genocidal attacks in Gujarat,” wrote AnishKapoor. “India' s long history of cultural and ethnic tolerance is gravely in peril with the rise of this politician whose association with the fascist right cannot any longer be hidden. It is deplorable therefore that Britain continues to dialogue with this man and that British parliamentarians and businessmen shamelessly extend a hand of friendship to him and his political associates.” At the meeting, the statement said, Suresh Grover of the Monitoring Group outlined key events during the “orgy of violence” in 2002, even as launching an “extensively research book ‘Narendra Modi exposed: challenging the myths surrounding the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate’ by Prof Chetan Bhatt, Director of the Centre for the Study of Human Rights at the London School of Economics. “Bhatt spoke of Modi’s links with the Hindutva movement, which uses the guise of religion for its extremist brand of politics, and its ‘deliberate attempt to suppress freedom of speech’ in this country”, the statement said, regretting, “Virendra Sharma (MP for Ealing Southall) had originally agreed to host the meeting but withdrew after coming under pressure from supporters of Modi, who tried to force the event to be cancelled. A few turned up to disrupt the meeting, but did not succeed in silencing discussion.”
The statement further said, “Pragna Patel, of Southall Black Sisters, spoke on this movement’s disturbing attitude to and treatment of women, including sexual violence ‘unprecedented in nature’ in 2002. Prof Gautam Appa, emeritus professor at the London School of Economics, exposed the inaccuracy of claims often made by BJP supporters that the Supreme Court has cleared Modi of responsibility and that Gujarat is a model of good governance and prosperity.”
A meeting organised on Wednesday by the UK based groups Awaz and the Monitoring Committee resolved to put pressure on the British government not to engage with Bharatiya Janata Party's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi until justice is done for victims of human rights violations during the 2002 Gujarat riots. The event was hosted by Labour Party MP for Hayes and Harlington John McDonnell and supported by party MP for Islington North Jeremy Corbyn at the House of Commons. The meeting resolved that it would seek an Early Day Motion to the House of Commons and take a delegation of MPs to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office asking that there should be no official engagement with Modi until he has been held legally accountable for his responsibility in the 2002 violence. The meeting also heard that action is underway for an international tribunal on genocide in Gujarat.
Published: February 27, 2014 19:03 IST | Updated: February 27, 2014 19:03 IST
Rights groups urge UK not to engage with Modi
Parvathi Menon
A meeting organised on Wednesday by the U.K. based groups Awaz and the Monitoring Committee resolved to put pressure on the British government not to engage with Bharatiya Janata Party’s prime ministerial candidateNarendra Modi until justice is done for victims of human rights violations during the 2002 Gujarat riots.
The event was hosted by Labour Party MP for Hayes and Harlington John McDonnell and supported by party MP for Islington North Jeremy Corbyn at the House of Commons.
The meeting resolved that it would seek an Early Day Motion to the House of Commons and take a delegation of MPs to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office asking that there should be no official engagement with Mr. Modi until he has been held legally accountable for his responsibility in the 2002 violence. The meeting also heard that action is underway for an international tribunal on genocide in Gujarat.
The speakers at the meeting included Suresh Grover of the Monitoring Group; Pragna Patel from the women’s groupSouthall Black Sisters; Chetan Bhatt, director, Centre for the Study of Human Rights at the London School of Economics; and Professor Gautam Appa, professor emeritus from the LSE.
Yusuf Dawood and Imran Dawood, U.K. citizens of Gujarati origin whose close relatives were killed in Gujarat in 2002 were also present.
The sharp polarisation of political opinion within U.K.-based Indian community was on display at the meeting. A group of supporters of Mr. Modi engaged in arguments with the speakers and then staged a noisy walkout towards the end of the meeting, demanding proof of the allegations made against Mr. Modi.
Mr. Modi has considerable cross-party political support in Britain. Even within the Labour Friends of India there have been attempts to get the government to revoke the earlier restrictions that had been placed upon his visiting the U.K.
In fact, this meeting was initially to have been hosted by Virendra Sharma, Labour MP for Ealing and Southall. However, he pulled out of his sponsorship a day before the meeting. While Mr. Sharma said it was because he did not want to associate with the “anti-Hindu” agenda of the meeting, the organisers said that it was because of pressure from his pro-Modi constituency.
Messages of support were read out from the artist and sculptor, Sir Anish Kapoor, Baroness Helena Kennedy, a distinguished barrister and human rights campaigner and Mike Wood, MP for Batley and Spen.
Mr. Kapoor said: “I am deeply grateful you are doing this. We are in a moment of great danger and your call to oursense of justice is much needed.”
LONDON: A debate on BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi's controversial past sparked a row at a meeting within Britain's parliament complex.
Human rights groups and organisers of 'Narendra Modi and the Rise of Hindu Fascism' at a committee room in the Parliament building yesterday claimed they had been subjected to intense pressure and death threats from Hindu right-wing groups in the UK to cancel the debate.
"This meeting has been held under extremely difficult conditions, in the face of death threats. It just highlights the inability of Narendra Modi's supporters to tolerate anything other than their narrative and attempts to suppress free speech," said Chetan Bhatt, director of the Centre for the Study of Human Rights at theLondon School of Economics (LSE).
Bhatt traced Modi's RSS roots during the meeting leading up to his role as chief minister of Gujarat during the 2002 riots.
"The human rights issues are very serious and are not going to go away, no matter what happens in the Indian elections," he added.
The meeting was also addressed by Yusuf Dawood, a British Gujarati who lost two of his brothers in the 2002 riots and filed a civil case against Modi for genocide and crimes against humanity back in 2004.
"We can't just brush the facts of what happened under the carpet. It is important that the truth remains the truth," he said.
Members of the Hindu Forum of Britain and other UK-based Hindu groups present at the event expressed their discontent with the proceedings and claimed Modi was being unfairly accused and attacked.
A small group of rabble-rousers had to be eventually escorted out of the room, with one member screaming "Modi will be PM of India".
The meeting received the backing of a number of British parliamentarians, led by Labour MP John McDonnell, as well as celebrated Indian-born British artist Anish Kapoor.
"We are in a moment of great danger and your call to our sense of justice is much needed," Kapoor said in his message read out at the event.
The event also marked the launch of 'Narendra Modi Exposed: Challenging the Myths Surrounding the BJP's Prime Ministerial Candidate', a report published by the Awaaz Network and Monitoring Group.
A discuss on BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi’s controversial past sparked a quarrel during a assembly within Britain’s council complex.
LONDON: A discuss on BJP primary ministerial claimantNarendra Modi’s argumentative past sparked a quarrel during a assembly within Britain’s council complex.
Human rights groups and organisers of ‘Narendra Modi and a Rise of Hindu Fascism’ during a cabinet room in a Parliament building yesterday claimed they had been subjected to heated vigour and genocide threats from Hindu worried groups in a UK to cancel a debate.
“This assembly has been hold underneath intensely formidable conditions, in a face of genocide threats. It only highlights a inability of Narendra Modi’s supporters to endure anything other than their account and attempts to conceal giveaway speech,” pronounced Chetan Bhatt, executive of a Centre for a Study of Human Rights during a London School of Economics (LSE).
Bhatt traced Modi’s RSS roots during a assembly heading adult to his purpose as arch apportion of Gujarat during a 2002 riots.
“The tellurian rights issues are really critical and are not going to go away, no matter what happens in a Indian elections,” he added.
The assembly was also addressed by Yusuf Dawood, a British Gujarati who mislaid dual of his brothers in a 2002 riots and filed a polite box opposite Modi for genocide and crimes opposite amiability behind in 2004.
“We can’t only brush a contribution of what happened underneath a carpet. It is critical that a law stays a truth,” he said.
Members of a Hindu Forum of Britain and other UK-based Hindu groups benefaction during a eventuality voiced their displeasure with a record and claimed Modi was being foul indicted and attacked.
A tiny organisation of rabble-rousers had to be eventually escorted out of a room, with one member screaming “Modi will be PM of India”.
The assembly perceived a subsidy of a series of British parliamentarians, led by Labour MP John McDonnell, as good as distinguished Indian-born British artist Anish Kapoor.
“We are in a impulse of good risk and your call to a clarity of probity is most needed,” Kapoor pronounced in his summary review out during a event.
The eventuality also remarkable a launch of ‘Narendra Modi Exposed: Challenging a Myths Surrounding a BJP’s Prime Ministerial Candidate’, a news published by a Awaaz Network and Monitoring Group.
In it a author, LSE Emeritus highbrow Gautam Appa remarkable that a BJP’s explain of a supposed “clean chit” given to Modi by a Supreme Court is a myth as a legal routine is still ongoing in India
