Samvidhan Samman Yatra, organised by NAPM, flagged off from Dandi, Gujarat on Gandhi Jayanti

samvidhan yatra

Dandi, Gujarat | October 02, 2018: NAPM begins the nationwide Samvidhan Samman Yatra today from Dandi, Gujarat against the increased mob violence, hate crimes, casteist attacks, natural resource loot, and consistent attack on constitutional values. People from various people’s movements joined the yatra in Dandi where Prafulla Samantara (Lok Shakti Abhiyaan, Odisha), Suhas Kolhekar (NAPM, Maharashtra), B. R. Patil (Karnataka), Dr. Sunilam (Kisaan Sangharsh Samiti, Madhya Pradesh), and Nita Mahadev (Gujarat Lok Samiti, Gujarat) flagged off the yatra.

While flagging off the Yatra, Prafulla Samantara said that the country has gone backwards to the British era under the current BJP rule. Natural resources are being given away to a few industrialists. People of the country, farmers, adivasi, mazdoor, youth, elderly, all of us are being targeted. The Govt. is hell bent to destroy the spirit of our Constitution.

“The harmony has been destroyed. People are being lynched in the name of religion and caste. RSS and BJP are hell bent in spreading hatred and violence to make the nation violent Hindu Rashtra at the expense of human lives. The young population who are in dire need of employment to support them and their families are being diverted into communalism”, said by Dr. Sunilam.

Nita Mahadev from Gujarat said that whether it is Gujarat or any other state, everywhere environmental laws and democratic rights of the people are being changed or diluted for corporates. Farmers cultivating for the entire country, workers engaged in development of the country, Adivasis protecting the natural environment and forests, everyone are getting marginalised.

B. R. Patil from Karnataka put forward the farm crisis that the farmers are facing nationwide and said that all the welfare and essential schemes are getting diverted towards profiteering of corporates. Farmers from all over the country are asking for fare prices for their produce but the Govt. neither listening to the farmers nor the soldiers.

Suhas Kolhekar from NAPM Maharashtra discussed the aim of the Yatra and said that we all need to protect the constitution in the original spirit as produced by Baba Saheb Ambedkar. We have fought with previous governments in the past and we will do so in present when the Constitution and the country needs most. We will fight against this with People’s Power.

After that the Yatra proceeded towards Navsari with the slogans of Humara Abhimaan – Samvidhan Samman and Desh Bachao – Desh Banao.

After Dandi, Gujarat Khedut Samaj welcomed the Yatra in Moti Paradi village, Surat where people affected from unjust land acquisition by express way, bullet trains, and other developmental projects assembled and taken pledge for united struggle to save democracy and constitution.

The next meeting happened in Bharuch where farmers, fishworkers, and other communities welcomed the Yatra. In this region, people are fighting against Bhadbhut Barrage on Narmada River, which will cause enormous damage to the ecology and fish population in the estuary. A large population in dependent on the fishing activities alone. The region is also facing wrath of destructive development due to several projects under SEZs, industrial corridors plans. People discussed the issues at length and asked for continuous support to their struggle with the slogans Ladenge – Jeetenge!

Yesterday, when the government is celebrating the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, the farmers in Delhi are facing the brute forces of Delhi police during Kisan Kranti Rally. Many of the farmers got injured due to the massive lathicharge, use of water cannons, and tear gas on the rally which was heading towards the Samadhi Sthal of Lal Bahadur Shastri. Dr. Sunilam on the behalf of Samvidhan Samman Yatra condemned the act of Govt. and said that Govt. will celebrate the 150th birth anniversary for next two years and they have already started it with todays violence meted out on farmers. We the people, are facing the wrath of corrupt, communal govt since last 4 years and much before and we condemn this. The people who are talking about Jai Jawan – Jai Kisan in their political rallies are now stopping farmers to assemble at Samadhi Sthal of Lal Bahadur Shastri who gave this slogan to the farmers and soldiers.

In the evening, leaders of Paryavaran Suraksha Samiti and Sahiyar Mahila Sangathan welcomed the Yatra in Vadodara. Sanjay MG, Suniti SR addressed the meeting. Yatra will resume tomorrow from Vadodara and head towards Dholera, Bhavnagar, Mithi Virdi, and Saurashtra region.

Prafulla Samantara (Lok Shakti Abhiyan, Odisha), Meera Sanghamitra (NAPM, Telangana – Andhra Pradesh), Dr. Sunilam (Kisan Sangharsh Samiti, Madhya Pradesh), Suresh Rathaur, Mahendra, Yogiraj (Manrega Mazdoor Union, Purvanchal Kisan Union, NAPM Uttar Pradesh), Jagannath, Mohanlal (Sangatin Kisan Mazdoor Union, Uttar Pradesh), Jitendra Paswan, Phool Kumari (Jan Jagran Shakti Sangathan, Bihar), Naveen Mishra, Rajesh (Century Mill Struggle, Khargone, Madhya Pradesh), Kamla Yadav, Rohit, Saurav (Narmada Bachao Andolan), Bhupendra Singh Rawat (Jan Sangharsh Vahini, Delhi), Amitava Mitra (NAPM West Bengal), Suniti SR, Suhas Kolhekar, Sanjay MG (NAPM Maharashtra), Basant Hetamsaria, Balram Singh, Raju Vishwakarma (NAPM Jharkhand), Rajendra Ravi, Madhuresh Kumar, Himshi Singh, Uma (NAPM Delhi), Sanjay Naazre, Abhishek (Kolhapur, Maharashtra), Aryaman Jain, Aryan (Delhi), Akshit (Guhaar), Debanjani, Rimpy, Pallab (Dibrugarh University, Assam) have joined the Yatra from different parts of the country.

Anand Mazgaonkar, Swati Desai, Rohit Prajapati, Krishnakant (Paryavaran Suraksha Samiti), Nita Mahadev (Gujarat Lok Samiti), Mujahid Nafees, Jayesh Patel (Gujarat Khedut Samaj), Mudita Vidrohi, Parth Trivedi, and others joined the yatra from Gujarat.

For more details, please contact 9971058735, 9867348307.

For details about Samvidhan Samman Yatra, check our website www.samvidhanyatra.wordpress.com

Call for Solidarity – https://samvidhanyatra.wordpress.com/call-for-solidarity/

Phase I Route Map – https://samvidhanyatra.wordpress.com/map-samvidhan-samman-yatra-phase-i/

Samvidhan Samman Yatra

We are standing at crossroads and passing through a critical juncture in India’s history and have a historical responsibility to save and salvage the ethos of this country, to fulfill the dreams of social, economic and political justice that Dr. Baba Saheb Ambedkar envisioned. There is an overwhelming urgency to come together, beyond diversity of perspectives, to safeguard the constitutional values and principles of humanity, based on social justice, liberty, equality, fraternity, scientific and rational thinking in the social psyche to deal with all these political, economic, social, cultural challenges. The need of the hour is to create understanding and tolerance in society, by peaceful, democratic and constitutional means. It is equally vital to aim for economic equity, social parity, environmental protection, sustainable development, establishment of people’s rights over access of resources and annihilation of caste and patriarchy.

It is with this urgency and spirit that National Alliance of People’s Movements (NAPM) has, after numerous discussions, planned to embark on a Samvidhan Samman Yatra – a nationwide tour to restore and protect the core values of our Constitution and democracy, at a time when there is an all-out attack on the Constitution, people’s rights, livelihoods, environment and the spirit of diversity in the country, even as massive scams, resource loot and dilution of laws are taking place and farmers, workers, students, employees, women, dalits, adivasis, muslims all are on the streets asserting their rights, spaces and freedoms.

Yatra shall travel more than 25000 Kms through 26 states in 65 days holding meetings, discussions, public events, supporting struggles, sharing grief of victims of the violence and hate and spreading message of plurality, love, peace and social justice. The Yatra shall culminate in a Manvadhikar Rally and Jan Sansad in Delhi on 10th December, 2018, the International Human Rights Day.

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