Friends,

You must surely be aware of the extremely insulting and condemnable remarks about minorities made by Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi— that "Muslims are producing children in relief camps"; that "ham panch hamare pachees is the family planning slogan of Muslims." Modi´s recurring and vicious hate speech is against humanity. Far from condemning these remarks, the deputy prime minister and the BJP president have shamelessly justified Modi.

As members of a democratic society, we are duty bound to fight in defence of plural values and secular polity. It's time we expressed clear and loud, our extreme anguish and distress over such frontal attacks on democracy as made by Modi and his party.

Therefore, a protest demonstration is being organized on 19th September 2002, Thursday. You are requested to assemble at Andhra Bhawan, Ashoka Road at 2.30 pm.

It has been decided that banners of political parties and their frontal/affiliated organizations should be avoided.

Nirmala Deshpande
Praful Bidwai
Shabnam Hashmi
Kamal Mitra Chenoy
Anil Kumar Choudhury
Zafar Agha
Wagesh Jha
Syed Naser Hussain
Shakil Ahmad Khan
Varghese K George