22/06/2017
An AppealTo Members of the Electoral College for
India’s Presidential Elections
India will be electing its 14th President in July this year. We voice the concerns of the National Federation of Indian Women (NFIW), its members, and sympathizers for electing a person capable and committed to protect constitutional guarantees in the upcoming Presidential elections.
The President of India as the Head of State has immense executive, legislative and military powers as defined by the Constitution. S/he enjoys powers to appoint and remove high Constitutional authorities, including the Prime Minister. All appointments of the Judges of the Supreme Court and the High Courts, the State Governors, the Attorney General, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), and the members of the election commission are made in his/her name. S/he is also the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces. Therefore the President’s every decision has a far reaching and significant impact on the nation.
India is witnessing the systematic undermining of constitutional guarantees in many ways. Equality, the right to freedom of expression and choice, discrimination and victimization of minorities, Dalits, adivasis and women, are increasing both conceptually and in cascading acts of violence. The country is now ruled by fear.
The defense and propagation of backward traditional practices by the religious extremists, fostered by the silence of the state, promotes misogynistic mind sets and patriarchy. The revival of Manusmriti threatens equality for Dalits and women and secular, democratic values. The increased violence against women in all forms, is a direct consequence of the revival and tacit approval of regressive traditional practices. The last three years have seen a brazen growth of such attitudes – the situation in UP after the elections is an obvious and glaring example. All the progress achieved by women in defeating patriarchal forces since independence now stand threatened with the Romeo squads, love jihad, honour killings and vigilantism which continue unchallenged. There are reportedly moves to organise meetings to amend the constitution and to make India a Hindu theocratic state, threatening the equality considered essential for the well being of its multiple religions and the plurality of its culture and people. Dissent and difference will be disallowed, and there is every possibility that values that have evolved over thousands of years will perish. The Constitution itself could thus be changed to become a tool of oppression and exclusion.
We therefore urge you to unanimously support only those candidate who will uphold the constitution and its secular and democratic values; and thereby be worthy to be considered for becoming the President of India.
Aruna Roy Dr. Syeda Hameed
National President (NFIW) Muslim Women’s Forum
Annie Raja GS NFIW Rajni Tilak Rashtriya Dalit Mahila Andolan (RDMA)
Gargi Chakravartty, Krishna Majumdar, ( National Vice Presidents NFIW), Aruna Sinha, Dr. Koninika Ray, Kamaljeet, Shyamkali (National Secretaries NFIW)
State Presidents State General Secretaries
Nirmal R Rubina (J&K)
Meera Sharma Remya (HP)
Kushal Baura Rajinder Kaur (Panjab)
Neelam Siddhu Nisha (Haryana)
Dr.Noor Zaheer Philomina John (Delhi)
Nisha Siddhu Sunita Chathurvedi (Rajasthan)
Pushpa Sharma Asha (Gujarat)
Smita Pansare Lata Bhise (Maharashtra)
Krishna Dubey Sariga(MP)
Vimla Durga Bhavani(AP)
Chhaya Srujana (Telengana)
Susheela P.Padmavathy
Kamala Sadanandan Adv.P. Vasantham (Kerala)
Hemalata B.Sarala (Puducherry)
Jyothi Anandasubharao Pramoda (Karnataka)
Krishnapriya Prabhavati Das (Orissa)
Asha Mishra Dr. Seema ( UP)
Tara Dey Shyamasree Das (WB)
Manikuntala Asomi Gogoi (Assam)
Sakhi Devi Sarojini (Manipur)
Jaya Biswas Sushmita Nandi (Tripura)
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