Murali Ramathoti
Friends, experience shows us that social movements are necessary but not sufficient to bring about long-lasting change. It also requires a strong political will and commitment which the present dispensation lacks. I trust legislative bodies, to some extent, could provide a platform for a democratic articulation of the problems of the marginalized groups. At this juncture, I support our friend and our colleague in the fight against the fascist camp, Mr. Vijay Kumar Pedapudi’s direct participation in electoral politics.
Friends, we have been living in an atmosphere of fear, terror and a high degree of intolerance. There have been murders of social activists & public intellectuals, the lynching of the marginalized for realising their democratic right of food, threatening and intimidating people for exercising their right to expression and so on.
As one among the five victimised students along with Mr. Rohith Vemula at the University of Hyderabad he was subjected to traumatic conditions by these communal forces. I think this made him resolve to be at the forefront of the political process to fight for the democratic rights of the marginalized groups.
He hails from a highly marginalized and discriminated dalit family of daily wage labourers (coolies) in Andhra Pradesh. Despite being from such a socially and economically excluded background, he never compromised in his studies and that secured him distinction at all levels, starting from SSC to M.Phil. He is now working on his PhD from the University of Hyderabad. But it is a sad reality that his studies could bring no change in his social life and he remains the same as what he was 20 years ago.
I don’t think his political entry would change the condition overnight. But it could definitely provide him a better platform to fight for a better society in the long run.
Now in that mission, he is contesting from the Parchur assembly constituency of Andhra Pradesh in the general elections of 2019 on BSP ticket which is in alliance with Janasena Party, the CPI and the CPM.
He is fighting two economic giants in this constituency:
1.Sri.Daggubati Venkateswara Rao (Son of the prime culprit, Daggubati Chenchuramaiah, in the Karamchedu dalit massacre and husband of Smt.Purandeswsari, former central minister) from the YSRCP and
2.Sri.Y.Sambasivarao, an industrialist from the TDP.
Since he is equipped with nothing but egalitarian political ideas and as an advocate for social harmony he needs our financial assistance in order to lead this mission for democracy successfully. Hence I am requesting you all, if we can, to donate whatever we can on our moral responsibility.
Bank Account details:
Vijay Kumar Pedapudi
A/c No. 30860148514, SBIN0015612, SBI HCU Admin
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Murali Ramathoti is a Research Scholar in University of Hyderabad.
