Expressing deep concern about the growing communal tension in Uttar Pradesh, Comrade Provash Ghosh, General Secretary, SUCI(Communist) has issued the following statement on 25 March 2017:
The whole country is witnessing with worries and agonies the sudden rise of communal tension in UP immediately after the formation of BJP government there, particularly after it issued the order, as reported in the press, to seal no less than 36 slaughter houses and hundreds of meat shops, rendering thousands of workers, attached to them, jobless and causing a loss of thousands of crores of rupees so far. This act of the UP government cannot but raise serious apprehensions that the major policies in both the socio-political, cultural spheres and also in education will be given a typical Hindu orientation thereby jeopardizing whatever little secular atmosphere is there, still prevailing in the country. The minimum sense of democracy will emphatically assert that what one shall eat cannot be decided by others, far less can be directed by the government in a democratic set-up. The aforesaid order of the UP government has adversely affected the livelihood of lakhs of people connected with the business. Furthermore, this will affect not only export of meat to no less than 50 countries but also will adversely affect the leather and associated industries and thereby weaken country’s economy.
The situation has been made more complicated by raising the question of Ram temple by Sangh Parivar as well as by the effigy burning of the Vice-Chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University, accusing him of shielding, instead of taking action against a professor of the University who according to ABVP is ‘fuelling the resentment against the present government’s Kashmir Policy’ – which the Vice-Chancellor reportedly refuted and said that to be baseless. All this together has vitiated the atmosphere to such an extent that peace and amity are being threatened. In this situation, we urge the UP government to withdraw the said order immediately to bring back normalcy in the state and save the livelihood of the affected people. We also fervently appeal to the people that they shall not fall victim to any sorts of provocation, rather shall remain firmly united and develop mighty united struggle against the growing all out crisis of life.”
