People's Democracy

JOURNALISTS, jurists, writers, teachers and academicians at a meeting on November 23, 2001 gave the call for a broad based march to Parliament on December 4 from Safdar Hashmi Marg, Mandi House as part of a phased action programme demanding the withdrawal of POTO in toto.

In a strongly worded resolution adopted by the jam-packed gathering at the Gandhi Peace Foundation, POTO was termed as a dangerous state weapon, a draconian ordinance to snuff out democratic dissent, gag the press and destroy the secular democratic fabric of the country. It was an act of legislative terrorism in the name of fighting terrorism, the meeting resolved.

The meeting was called by the Delhi Union of Journalists (DUJ) the All India Lawyers Union (AILU), The Democratic Teachers Front, The Delhi Science Forum, The Janvadi Lekhak Sangh and the Progressive Writers Association (PWA) and was addressed among others by the Supreme court bar luminary Fali Nariman, veteran CPI(M) parliamentarian Somnath Chatterjee, senior journalist Prabhash Joshi, Chief of Bureau The Asian Age Seema Mustafa, DUJ president S K Pande, veteran lawyer Hardev Singh and CPI leader Atul Anjan.

CPI(M) leader Somnath Chatterjee dubbed POTO as a weapon to curb all forms of dissent and called for a fight, both inside and outside Parliament. "BJP calls it a win-win situation. It has specific political purpose, a special eye on the UP elections where the Vishwa Hindu Parishad is allowed to violate even Supreme Court orders and no one is questioned. It is pernicious, outrageous and atrocious legislation with divisive ramifications and against the minorities. It is against democratic struggles, which are mounting" thundered Chatterjee.

In a reasoned castigation of the ordinance, interspersed by caustic humour, Nariman rejected the POTO, virtually clause by clause. He even opposed the banning of organisations as potentially counterproductive. He cautioned against laws which seek to do contradictory things i.e., seek to detain first and then collect evidence for establishing guilt. He made it clear that existing laws are absolutely sufficient in meeting the terrorist threats.

CPI leader Atul Anjan said that those people in the BJP who spoke of civil liberties during Jayaprakash Narayan’s time are today, butchering them in his birth centenary. Seema Mustafa, Bureau chief of The Asian Age charged that the government was vying with the US in bringing repressive laws.

In a pointed criticism senior journalist Prabhash Joshi said that the government intentions became clear when suddenly after September 11, terrorism is linked to Islam and POTO is hastily given birth. "Let there be no doubt about it, the RSS does not want freedom or democracy it only wants Hindu Rashtra" he said. Professor Badri Raina questioned who creates terrorists? Even they are not born terrorists, while professor MMP Singh said that like in the past during emergency, such laws are bound to be misused.

DUJ president S K Pande reminded journalists of the struggle against the Bihar Press Bill and said the DUJ at an executive meeting and at a public meeting has rejected POTO in toto. Its time to act, now because delay can be disastrous, he said.

The resoultion rejecting POTO was passed unanimously. It was proposed by the DUJ and seconded by Progressive Writers Association president Ali Javed. The meeting was chaired by senior advocate Hardev Singh.