- ‘Telangana for Peace and Unity’ appeals to the people of the State
- Writes an open letter to Telangana Chief Minister
- Peace rally from Jagjivanram’s statue at Bashirbagh to Ambedkar’s statue at Tank Bund on Sunday, the 24th, from 11 am to 1 pm
A group of concerned citizens and people’s organizations came togetherto announce the launch of Telangana for Peace and Unity (TPU), a broad coalition aimed to work towards establishing peace and unity of all communities in Hyderabad and across Telangana, especially at a time when right-wing forces are trying to spread communal hatred in the country. Several activists and representatives of civil society organizations addressed the Press Conference held at the Somajiguda Press Club on Wednesday. The TPU members gave out a united call to the people of the State to defeat attempts of vested interests to disturb the communal harmony in the State and target minority communities, who are equal citizens of our country.
Some of the announcements made at the Press Conference were:
- Release of an Open Appeal to the Chief Minister of Telangana, urging him to take a strong public stand against communal elements and reassure the minorities in the state of their rights and safety.
- Release of a Joint statement endorsed by 300 + concerned citizens, activists, academics and civil society groupscondemning Sangh Parivar-sponsored violence against Muslims across India and urging the Supreme Court to establish rule of law and uphold the Constitutional rights of minorities.
- A Multi-Faith, People’s Peace and Unity March in Hyderabad on 24th April(Sunday) from 11 am to 1 pm, beginning at LB Stadium and culminating at Ambedkar Statue.
TPU members unequivocally condemned the brazen hate and violence unleashed by the Sangh Parivar against minorities across the country, Muslims in particular. It is unforgivable that Hindu festivals have now become a pretext for the saffron goons to orchestrate violence in Muslim localities, carry out open rallies with weapons, target Muslim religious structures etc. While the police and the BJP Govt. havebeen complicit in enabling this open violence, even the judiciary, by not making a timely intervention has precipitated matters.
It was pointed out that both in Hyderabad as well as in the district centres like Nizamabad, Karimnagar and Adilabad, right-wing elements affiliated to the Sangh Parivar are making constant attempts to arouse communal passions and this must be nipped in the bud by the state government taking a strong stand and legal action.
It was stated that Telangana for Peace and Unity proposes to work with people in the state to wean away those attracted to communal politics and preserve the composite tolerant culture of Telangana. The Open Letter to the CM reads, “At a time when large parts of the nation are reeling under communal tensions, targeting minorities, we would like people, civil society and the government of Telangana to present an exemplary model of working together to uphold peace and unity”.
TPU appeals to all sections of society in Telangana to join hands, in order to maintain communal harmony in the state and expects full co-operation of the state government and the police in these efforts. TPU appealed to all communities to address religious radicalisation and to work towards communal amity.
Names of the signatories
K Sajaya
Vimala Morthala
Kiran Vissa
Mazhar Hussain
Maria Tabassum
Meera Sanghamitra
Khaleda Parveen
Jhansi
Padmaja Shaw
M Sandhya
Sarah Mathews
Md Shakeel
Krishna Kumari
Imran Siddiqui
Contact: Kiran Vissa: 9701705743; Padmaja Shaw: 9348610948;Meera Sanghamitra: 7337478993
