“Vote BJP and its allies” out of power: 600 theatre artistes

Ahead the upcoming Lok Sabha Elections when BJP is busy not leaving any stone unturned to guarantee win in all its contested seats, more than 600 theatre personalities have signed a letter asking people to "vote BJP and its allies" out of power.

Theatre artistes including Amol Palekar, Naseeruddin Shah, Girish Karnad and Usha Ganguli have signed the letter arguing that the idea of India and its constitution are under threat.

The letter issued on Thursday evening on the Artist Unite India website, stated that the upcoming elections are the "most critical in the history" of the country.

"Today, the very idea of India is under threat. Today, song, dance, laughter is under threat. Today, our beloved Constitution is under threat," they said.

The letter further stated that the government has "suffocated" the institutions where argument, debate and dissent were nurtured.

"A democracy must empower its weakest, its most marginalised. A democracy cannot function without questioning, debate, and a vibrant opposition. All this is being concertedly eroded by the current government read  the letter adding, "The BJP, which came to power five years ago with the promise of development, has given free rein to Hindutva goons to indulge in the politics of hate and violence".

The artistes through the letter have taken a jibe on the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, stating that he has destroyed the lives of many people through his government's policies and has failed on the promises he made. However, it may be noted that the letter does not refer to the prime minister by name.

"He promised to bring back black money; instead, rogues have looted the country and run away. The wealth of the rich has grown astronomically, while the poor have become even poorer."

The letter urged people to protect the "Constitution and our syncretic, secular ethos" and vote "bigotry, hatred, and apathy out of power".

"We appeal to our fellow citizens to vote for love and compassion, for equality and social justice, and to defeat the forces of darkness and barbarism," the letter read.

"Vote to empower the weakest, protect liberty, protect the environment, and foster scientific thinking. Vote for secular democratic, inclusive India. Vote for the freedom to dream. Vote wisely," it added.

Shanta Gokhale, Mahesh Elkunchwar, Mahesh Dattani, Arundhati Nag, Kirti Jain, Abhishek Majumdar, Konkona Sen Sharma, Ratna Pathak Shah, Lillete Dubey, Mita Vashisth, M K Raina, Makarand Deshpande and Anurag Kashyap are among those who have signed the letter.

(With inputs from PTI)