Lifting of the ban on 16 mass organizations!

Professor Hargopal wrote a letter to KCR – demanding the lifting of the ban on 16 mass organizations

Professor G Haragopal
Visiting Professor
NLSIU, Bengaluru

Subject: Withdrawal of G.O.73 Declaring Sixteen Democratic Organizations Unlawful

To:
Dear Shri Chandrashekar Rao Garu,

Trust you are recovering fast.
Sir, we should mention that declaring sixteen democratic organizations by your government as unlawful had come as a rude shock. This includes even the Civil Liberties organization, a part of erstwhile APCLC. You may recall that you addressed this organization during the Telangana separate statehood movement. We recall that on this occasion, you did go on record that after the formation of Telangana state, you would like to be a part of this movement. How can such an organization become unlawful? It has been fighting for democratic rights for almost the last five decades. All these sixteen organizations have been working within the constitutional framework openly for the last three to four decades. Each organization has its own defined program and pursues their public activities. It may also be mentioned that each of these organizations participated in the separate Telangana movement. You would have interacted with many of them during the Telangana movement. Almost all members of all these organizations stand for certain higher human values. They constitute moral resources of Telangana society.
Last one year due to the pandemic no organization could carry its activity. As far as Maoist actions are concerned during the last six to seven years, there are hardly any actions from their side in Telangana. There has been relative peace. What prompted the State government at this stage and time to revoke repressive laws and declare these organizations unlawful? This is very disturbing.
The governments do claim that we are a democratic system and governed by the Constitutional law. This very constitution encodes several democratic rights to the citizens. Government is bound by those legal standards and norms. Universal Declaration of Human Rights in its preamble emphatically says that repression always leads to rebellions. Human history is full of such instances. After all, separate state movement of Telangana was a product of such prolonged repression. The then government of united Andhra Pradesh attempted at dubbing the separate statehood movement as a Maoist movement. All the organizations that have now been declared unlawful have been active participants and enthusiastic supporters of the separate Telangana movement. People of Telangana wanted a free and democratic climate. It is one of the reasons why people participated in such large numbers. In one of the meetings convened by the Committee of Concerned Citizens which worked for peace almost for one decade, you mentioned that if a ball is thrown with force, it would bounce back with equal force. Having led a movement we do expect that you understand and respect the value of democratic struggles.
Sir, given the aspirations of the telangana movement, constitutional rights, and long history of democratic movements, this decision declaring these organizations unlawful is a negation of those democratic values.. We urge you that this undemocratic unconstitutional G.O 73 be withdrawn. Please ensure the expansion of democratic space which the people of Telangana have been aspiring for.
Yours Sincerely,
Prof. G. Haragopal
Convener,
Nirbandha Vyatireka Vedika
8 — 284/OU/ 263,
O.U. Colony,
Sheikpet,
Hyderabad-500008.