Bharat Jodo Abhiyan Launches Month-Long Campaign to Celebrate India's Plural Cultural Heritage
New Delhi: The Bharat Jodo Abhiyan (BJA) – a civil society platform involving organisations from across 15 states – on Tuesday (January 2) launched a month-long campaign called the 'Jana Gana Mana Abhiyaan'. This campaign, according to the organisers, is "an effort to revitalise citizens who take pride in India’s rich, diverse, plural cultural heritage and work towards a society based on constitutional values".
A press conference to launch the Abhiyaan on Tuesday was addressed by Yogendra Yadav and Vijay Mahajan (convenors of BJA), Kavitha Kuruganti (national secretary, BJA) and Kamayani Swami (national working group member, BJA).
“The country is witnessing a frenzy of organized communalism which has got nothing to do with maryaada or Aastha or dharma but is a brazen attempt to polarize voters on religious lines in the run-up to the critical 2024 national elections. At this fork-on-the-road, civil society, represented by Bharat Jodo Abhiyan (BJA) would like to remind Indian citizens and society of the nation’s strengths and assets: its immortal founders, incomparable heritage, diverse peoples and their varied cultures. We invite all like-minded citizens who take pride in our progressive, inclusive civilization and are committed to our constitutional values of fraternity, liberty, equality and justice to give us a missed call on 7877722353. We invite them to become co-travellers in this mission of unity and progress, for a healthy – inclusive, truth-seeking, forward-looking, and compassionate – society. We call upon them to join this vital mission to reclaim the republic,” the BJA said in a press release.
The agenda for the month includes both online and offline events starting from January 3. "The activities planned for the campaign include videos, posters, challenges, on-line and face-to-face local events which will help revive discussions around the ideals of the community we had imagined and re-kindle aspirations towards realising our cherished values," the BJA said.
The BJA's campaign comes in the same month as the inauguration of the new Ram temple in Ayodhya, on the land where the Babri Masjid once stood. Several opposition parties have said they will not be attending the January 24 event planned by the Bharatiya Janata Party, as religion is a personal matter and should not be politicised.
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