International Day of
Equality – An Open Letter to CMs of Indian States
understandable. Over the year, much has happen abroad to own and honour the Indian icon. And also the initiative taken by the Government of Tamil Nadu to celebrate April 14 as International Day of Equality this year has set the ball rolling. Some of the details of the initiatives taken by the City/State Administrations in Canada, USA, and UK are listed in my blog for information and ready reference: http://diplomatictitbits.blogspot.com/2022/04/as-i-please-is-it-my-obsession-with.html
Not that the GOI is oblivious of the desirability and importance of the proposal on International Day of Equality to honour the Indian icon Babasaheb Ambedkar on one hand and to strengthen India’s ‘Soft Diplomacy’ as GOI has done many positive and praiseworthy things to give a befitting honour to the leader in recent years. We
have made it clear that our proposal is not ‘agitative’ in character but is a harmonious and persuasive suggestion. With this brief explanation and view to remind the GOI and solicit wider support, we have decided to write an Open Letter’ to the Hon’ble CMs of all Indian States with the request to kindly consider and urge the GOI to take an early decision on the proposal International Day of Equality so that a diplomatic demarche could be made in the run up to the forthcoming UNGA in September, 2022. An early and positive decision in this regard will add to the celebrations of “Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’.
The text of the Open Letter to CMs of Indian
States is given below: –
इक तर्जे तगाफुल है सो वह उनको मुबारक;
इक अर्जे तमन्ना है वह हम करते रहेंगे।
Text of the Open Letter
dated July 7, 2022to CMs of Indian States –
July 7, 2022
An Open Letter to CMs
of Indian States
(International Day of
Equality – April 14, Birthday of Dr.B.R. Ambedkar)
Hon’ble Chief Minister,
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You may or may not have heard about the proposal on April 14, birthday of
Dr.B.R. Ambedkar to be declared as International Day of Equality. In the run up
to celebrations of 125th birth anniversary of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar by
the Government of India in 2015, a proposal, in this regard, was made to the
then EAM Sushma Swaraj in June, 2015 which was duly acknowledged by the UNES
Division f the MEA in August, 2015. In November, 2015, Forum of SC and ST
Members of Parliament under the leadership of Punjab Speaker Charanjit Singh
Atwal submitted the proposal to PM Narendra Modi in a Memorandum along with
several important Ministers in a delegation. Accordingly, on the initiative of
India, through its PR at the UN in New York, Babasaheb Ambedkar’s 125th
birth anniversary was celebrated at the UN for the first time on April 13-14,
2016. Speaker Charanjit Singh Atwal led the delegation to participate in the
celebrations at the UN and in his speech duly took up the proposal on
International Day of Equality at the function. On return, Speaker Atwal
submitted a report in May, 2016 to PM Narendra Modi and informed him of the
fact that the proposal was duly registered with the UN in his speech and urged
the GOI to take up the proposal on International Day of Equality with the UN by
making an official demarche through the diplomatic channels. Much water, since
then, has flown in the Yamuna River in Delhi and the Hudson River in New York
but the proposal is resting in the cup-boards of MEA. We have been reminding
the EAMs, PMO, Other Ministers and stake holders, ever since, at regular
intervals but, unfortunately, there is no response. GOI is blissfully silent
and this willful silence is not understandable. My last letter dated July 25,
2021to EAM Dr. S, Jaishankar is attached for ready reference.
It is a matter of gratification that our approaches to the foreign
entities, through cooperation and liaison with Indian associations and
organizations, have taken due notes of the proposal on International Day of
Equality in their respective countries and has declared April 14 as ‘Dr. B.R.
Ambedkar Day of Equality’, over the recent years. Some of these details of
these developments may be seen in my blog on the subject: http://diplomatictitbits.blogspot.com/2022/04/as-i-please-is-it-my-obsession-with.html
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Though the GOI is still unmoved yet it a matter of further satisfaction that some of the Indian states; particularly Tamil Nadu took a decision and celebrated April 14 as International Day of Equality in April, 2022 and urged the GOI to take necessary action to get the Day recognized under the aegis of UN to honour the Indian icon, Babasaheb Ambedkar. This gesture on the part of CM of Tamil Nadu has prompted me to write again on the subject and solicit support and cooperation of all the States of India in this regard. I take the liberty of writing to the Hon’ble CMs of all the Indian States and urge the following with a view to honour the greatest son India and strengthen the footprint of India in the cultural diplomacy as ‘Soft Power diplomacy ‘as we did earlier in 2007-08 for October 2, birthday of Mahatma Gandhi, as International Day of Non-violence and in 2015-16 as International Day of Yoga:
i)
Hon’ble
CM may write to the Hon’ble PM on the proposal on April 14, birthday of
Babasaheb Ambedkar as International Day of Equality and urge him to take an
appropriate decision in this regard.
ii)
Pass
a Resolution in the Legislative Assembly of the State in support of the
proposal on International Day of Equality and forward it to the Mahamahim
Rashtrapati ji.
With these humble submissions kindly allow me to close this with an
assertion that Ambedkar’s legacy is so potent that it may not be possible to
ignore it for long. International community has already taken positive note of
the proposal on International Day of Equality. It is a wakeup call to the GOI
to rise to the occasion before it gets late. It will be much appreciated, if
the Hon’ble CMs of respective States urge PM Narendra Modi take the proposal to
the UN in the forthcoming UNGA in September, 2022. Obviously, it is time to
take an appropriate decision now and instruct the diplomatic machinery to keep
the ’Powder Dry’ for delivery in September, 2022 at the UN in New York.
With assurances of my highest consideration,
Yours truly,
(Ramesh Chander)
Hon’ble CMs of All the States of
India
Copy to: EAM Dr. S. Jaishankar, PR of India to UN, Secretary to President
of India, Secretary to the President of India, Principal Secretary to PM
Attachment:
-Text of the letter dated July 25, 2021 to EAM Dr. S. Jaishankar
July
25, 2021
Dear
Sir,
I
thought of reminding you on the subject in the run up to the forthcoming UNGA
in September, 2021. You would appreciate, Sir, Babasaheb Ambedkar is
increasingly getting international recognition. It is surprising that our own
government, which has taken many initiatives to honour one ofthe greatest sons
of India otherwise, is taking time to consider the proposal and take a decision
to make an appropriate demarche to the UN in this regard. I may inform, which
you may already be aware, that the State of British Columbia in Canada
proclaimed to declare April 14 as Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Day of Equality in April,
2021. Some days ago in July, 2021 itself the Gray’s Inn in London has named and
opened Ambedkar Room and unveiled his portrait to recognize Babasaheb. You may
know that ‘Dr BR Ambedkar is the first person of the Indian origin and the very
second jurist in the world to have a room dedicated to him at the Gray’s Inn.
The Inn, previously had a room dedicated to Rose Heilbronn, England’s first
woman queen counsel and judge’ as reported by the Tribune of July 22, 2021
I
don’t feel any need to say much, Sir, as you very well know and understand how
to go about and what to do to get declared April 14 as International day of
Equality. There may not be more opportune time when India will occupy the
Head Chair at the UNSC and UNGA -76 in September, 2021 will be presided
over by Foreign Minister of our friend Maldives, Abdullah Shahid
I
am confident that my submissions would find an urgent consideration and a
favourable decision is taken to see that the proposal is sent and taken up at
the UN appropriately. It would send a very positive political signal within the
country and to the international community in under-pinning the ‘Soft Diplomacy
of India’ to move towards establishing a just and equitable world order.
With
personal regards,
Yours
truly,
(Ramesh
Chander)
Dr. S. Jaishankar,
Minister of External Affairs,
South Block, New Delhi
Copy to:
1. Shri Narendra Modi, PM of
India, PMO, South Block, New Delhi
2. Dr. Varinder Kumar, Minister
of Social Justice and Empowerment, New Delhi
3. Shri Ramdas Athawale, MOS,
Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, New Delhi
4. Shri Som Parkash, MOS,
Ministry of Industry and Trade, New Delhi
5. Ms. Meenakshi Lekhi, MOS,
MEA, New Delhi
6. Shri Vijay Sampla, Chairman,
National SC Commission, New Delhi
7. Shri Dushyant Gautam, MP,
New Delhi
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