New Delhi: Independent Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal Saturday announced a citizens’ platform called ‘Insaaf’ with the aim to provide an “alternative vision” for India. Sibal clarified that ‘Insaaf’ will be a platform and not a political party, and appealed to citizens, chief ministers of non-BJP-ruled states and opposition leaders for support.
Addressing a press conference at his residence, the former Congress leader said the platform’s vision and objective will be stated in a public meeting at Jantar Mantar on 11 March. Sibal also appealed to lawyers to be at the forefront of this collective to set right injustices that were taking place across the country.
“For a year or so I’ve been thinking about what to do (about prevailing political situation). If you look at history, every time there’s been a social reformation, lawyers have been at the forefront. And I’m disappointed that today, India’s lawyers are silent,” Sibal said.
Explaining the idea behind ‘Insaaf’, he said that it will be a “national level platform” with lawyers at the forefront.
“Wherever there’s injustice, the common people, civil society and lawyers will come together to fight it. I thought that RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) shakhas are everywhere and they use these shakhas to propagate their ideology. A lot of injustice happens because of this ideology. We want Insaaf Ke Sipahi (soldiers of justice) to stand and fight this injustice in every locality, block, village and city of this country,” he added.
In the context, Sibal also spoke of the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution, calling it a “defector’s paradise”. The Tenth Schedule deals with provisions related to disqualification of elected representatives on the ground of defection.
“Since 2014, eight elected governments have fallen (brought down by BJP). In which other democratic country are laws broken, legislators bought out and held up in other states to make such a thing happen? And the courts, people, lawyers, everybody is quiet. This is political injustice,” Sibal said.
He then went on to talk about economic injustice, pointing out that the “country’s hundred richest people have a combined wealth of Rs 54 lakh crore”. In a reference to action against opposition leaders by central agencies, he even referred to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) as the central government’s “valentine”.
“The situation is such today that it is government versus the people. We want a government for the people. Till the people of the country rise to fight this injustice, we are in for a very difficult time ahead. It is time to create awareness amongst the people and ask them to be our Insaaf Ke Sipaahi,” he said.
Sibal informed that a website has been created and a national telephone helpline is being set up to enable those interested in joining the movement.
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
Also Read: ‘Had Pegasus on my phone, was asked to be careful’ — what Rahul Gandhi said in Cambridge address