Amidst all the bad, what was the best thing that happened this year for human rights in India?

I'll start.

Two things come immediately to mind, and they both happened outside of India.
First, Sri Preston Kulkarni, whose campaign was floated by the RSS's #2 man in America, who out-raised his opponent by millions, who was predicted to win by five points, who was a darling of his party running for an open seat, lost because of his support from the RSS.
Second, Australian Senator @janet_rice made history when she became perhaps the first national-level politician to ever speak against the RSS on the floor of the legislature, calling it "a fascist organisation that openly admits admiration for Adolf Hitler."
Third, Seattle became the first city in America, thanks to efforts spear-headed by @cmkshama, to pass a resolution against the discriminatory CAA/NRC, despite RSS in America mobilizing hundreds to pack out city council chambers, dominate the floor, and monopolize the public mic.
Fourth, MP @sannekurz of the Bavarian State Parliament in Germany listened to her constituents and withdrew from participation in an event sponsored by RSS's international wing — both a blow to the group as well as a chance to inform MP Kurz about the RSS and situation in India.
Fifth, @Cavach_EU_IN conducted multiple interviews with national-level MPs in Germany, leading to at least two MPs, on camera, unconditionally denouncing association with the RSS, including one calling it "fascist group, which acts with hatred, which acts with violence."
Sixth, protests in India against CAA/NRC lit a fire in the Indian diaspora, leading to the creation of countless interfaith, secular, and pluralistic diaspora organizations around the world who are working for Indian human rights, including @Cavach_EU_IN and @HumanismProject.
Seventh, @RoKhanna, who made history and international headlines in 2019 for taking a public stand against Hindu nationalism and has further spoken out against CAA/NRC, was appointed co-chair of the powerful Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans.
Eighth, Tulsi Gabbard, whose congressional career was launched with support from RSS in America, was once co-chair of the India Caucus, and worked to whitewash Modi, unsurprisingly lost her bid for president but more surprisingly opted not to run for re-election to Congress.
Ninth, Donald Trump, a friend of Modi who even participated in a "Namaste Trump" mega-rally held in Gujarat at the same time the RSS conducted a pogrom in Delhi, lost his bid for re-election to the presidency to Biden/Harris, both of whom have spoken for human rights in India.
Tenth, the Overseas Friends of the BJP USA, which has been a backbone of support for election of the BJP in India and promotion of its agenda in America, was compelled to register as a "foreign agent" after 29 years in operation.

• • •

Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh
 

Keep Current with Pieter Friedrich

Pieter Friedrich Profile picture

Stay in touch and get notified when new unrolls are available from this author!

Read all threads

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

PDF

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video
  1. Follow @ThreadReaderApp to mention us!

  2. From a Twitter thread mention us with a keyword "unroll"
@threadreaderapp unroll

Practice here first or read more on our help page!

More from @FriedrichPieter

31 Dec 20
Despite the good, some horrifying things have occurred in India in 2020. Here are just a few. Can you think of more?
- February Delhi Pogrom & charges filed against victims
- Foundation-stone laying of both Ram Mandir &New Parliament
- Arrests of Anand Teltumbde, Hany Babu, Stan Swamy
- Lockdown & migrant crisis
- Passage of "Love Jihad" laws
- Passage of farming laws
- RSS staffing police checkpoints & assuming other governmental duties during lockdown
- Australian ambassador meeting & praising RSS
- French ambassador meeting & praising Yogi Adityanath
Read 6 tweets
30 Dec 20
I am donor-supported. My goal is to raise $50,000 by 1 February. That will fund me for the entirety of 2021. It will allow me to continue my investigation into RSS influence in USA as well as expand it internationally.

gofundme.com/f/document-amp…
Stay tuned for 1) my portfolio of work over the past 3 years as well as 2) my agenda for the next year.
Now striking $17,428 thanks to several generous donations over the past couple of days.
Read 14 tweets
30 Dec 20
I'm creating a recommended book list for students of South Asian history and politics.

What do you think should be on it?
- "Annihilation of Caste" by BR Ambedkar
- "Walking With the Comrades" by Arundhati Roy
- "Hindutva" by VD Savarkar
- "Slavery" by Jyotirao Phule
- "Mogul India" by Niccolao Manucci
- "Sketch of the Sikhs" by John Malcolm
- "Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi" by Mohandas Gandhi
- "The Mughal Throne" by Abraham Eraly
- "Aurangzeb" by Audrey Truschke
- "What Gandhi and Congress Have Done to Untouchables" by BR Ambedkar
- "A History of the Sikhs" by Joseph Davey Cunningham
- "Travels in the Mogul Empire" by François Bernier
Read 12 tweets
30 Dec 20
"Around 200 people chanted Hanuman Chalisa and ''Jai Shri Ram' slogans outside the mosque when prayers were being offered inside, officials said. This led to a heated exchange between Hindus and Muslims, and led to stone pelting, the police said."

scroll.in/latest/982721/…
"Some members from the rally hoisted saffron flags and climbed the mosque and tried to damage the minaret, witnesses said. Some videos also showed the Hindutva group members trying to damage nearby houses and vehicles."
"In the last four days, villages in Madhya Pradesh have been witness to incidents of communal violence, all of which broke out during fund collection rallies for the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya."

thewire.in/communalism/ma…
Read 6 tweets
29 Dec 20
In full view of police, Hindu nationalist mob attacks a mosque in Madhya Pradesh.
One of the saddest parts of this is seeing so many young men, caught up in mass hysteria, think that they're doing something productive by screaming religious slogans while attacking another community's religious site.
Wouldn't they rather be working and making money? Going out to eat with their girlfriends? Watching Netflix at home? Anything other than mobbing around with a bunch of other guys who are all working themselves into a frenzy?
Read 6 tweets
28 Dec 20
"The Kulkarni controversy, which brought the 'Modi Democrat' phenomenon into the spotlight, was spurred by the contributions of one of the largest donors to his campaign: the Bhutada family."

dissentmagazine.org/online_article…
"Still, Kulkarni was hardly the first Democratic politician with Hindu nationalist ties. Hawaiian Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, while not of Indian descent, is a practicing Hindu, and she leveraged that identity to make extraordinary inroads within the global network of Hindutva."
"With Gabbard’s decision to retire from Congress after this year, Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois will likely claim the mantle of the top Democratic ally to Hindu nationalists."
Read 6 tweets

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!


This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3/month or $30/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Too expensive? Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal Become our Patreon

Thank you for your support!

Follow Us on Twitter!