Former government officers criticise statements against civil society by Modi, other top officials
Abdul Gh Lone 28 November 2021 0 COMMENTSA group of 102 former civil servants on Sunday wrote an open letter to Indian citizens, criticising recent statements made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other high-ranking officials about the country’s civil society.
“These portents indicate a deliberate strategy to deny civil society the space and wherewithal for its operation,” the letter said.
The signatories, under the Constitutional Conduct Group, include former civil servants Anita Agnihotri, Gurjit Singh Cheema, AS Dulat, KP Fabian, Wajahat Habibullah, Harsh Mander and Mira Pande.
As an instance of the comments against the civil society, the signatories pointed out that Modi had referred to those protesting against the farm laws as “andolaneevis” (those who live off agitations). Speaking in the Rajya Sabha in February, the prime minister had said that “andolaneevis” were like parasites.
“Electoral compulsions might have led the prime minister to announce the decision to repeal the hated [farm] laws, but the damage done to the nation’s polity and social fabric will be hard to repair,” the signatories to the letter stated.
The former civil servants also noted that recent statements made by National Human Rights Commission Chairperson Arun Mishra and Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat had “heightened their anxiety with regard to the articulation of the state-civil society interface”.
Speaking at a Foundation Day event of…
RELATED ARTICLES
Ad
Recent Posts
- Netflix greenlights a ‘Stranger Things’ spin-off series to help build a franchise 7 July 2022
- Death toll rises to nine in Italy glacier collapse 7 July 2022
- Crypto lender Voyager Digital files for bankruptcy 7 July 2022
- One dead in stabbing during Swedish political event: police 7 July 2022
- Video of two uncles fighting in bus for space goes viral 7 July 2022
Old Archives
- July 2022
- June 2022
- May 2022
- April 2022
- March 2022
- February 2022
- January 2022
- December 2021
- November 2021
- October 2021
- September 2021
- August 2021
- July 2021
- June 2021
- May 2021
- April 2021
- March 2021
- February 2021
- January 2021
- December 2020
- November 2020
- October 2020
- September 2020
- August 2020
- July 2020
- June 2020
- May 2020
- April 2020
- March 2020
- February 2020
- January 2020
- December 2019
- November 2019
- October 2019
- September 2019
- August 2019
- July 2019
- June 2019
- May 2019
- April 2019
- March 2019
- February 2019
- January 2019
- December 2018
- November 2018
- October 2018
- September 2018
- August 2018
- July 2018