HYDERABAD: Magsaysay awardee and social activist Sandeep Pandey on Sunday said that the rights activist who were arrested in the last week of August don’t have the time to plot the assassination of Prime Minister Narendra Modi as they were busy resolving people’s issues. Pandey was delivering a citizens talk titled ‘Threat to democracy and Constitution of India’ organised by Socialist Party (India) - Telangana unit on Sunday.
It may be recalled that on August 28, five rights activists - P Varavara Rao, Sudha Bharadwaj, Gautam Navlakha, Vernon Gonsalves, and Arun Ferreira - were arrested by the Pune police for their alleged links with the Maoists. Later, Maharashtra Police stated that the activists were plotting to overthrow the Indian government. “Government says that there was a plot to kill Narendra Modi.
I find it ridiculous because, personally knowing Sudha Bharadwaj, Gautam Navlakha, and other people, I don’t think they have any time to plot the murder of the Prime Minister. I think they are busy with much more important issues as they are trying to solve the day to day problems of marginsalised communities,” Pandey said .
At the talk, the social activist and others spoke about the present challenges faced by democracy, how to make democracy flourish, the kind of politicians that need to be in legislature etc. Pandey said that politicians are no more accountable to people as there is criminalisation and communalisation of politics and interference of private sector into it. Former United Nations Environment Programme consultant Sagar Dhara said that for democracy to flourish, diversity should be celebrated.
At conclusion of the talk, Lubna Sarwath, general secretary of Socialist Party (India) - Telangana unit, demanded that EC should vouch that electoral rolls in the five States, including Telangana, are purged of bogus voters, and that the commission should question Telangana’s caretaker government why was the legislative assembly dissolved when eight months were still left for completion of the term.