Shabnam Hashmi resigns from National Integration Council

Saw this note on a mailing list. I quote:

Social activist Shabnam Hashmi has resigned from the National Integration Council, India’s apex body to formulate policies against social divisions, to protest the inclusion of Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray on the panel.

In a letter emailed to the home minister today, Hashmi said she was “shocked” at Thackeray’s inclusion. “Mr Uddhav Thackeray’s whole political life is based on divisive and hate politics. His entry into (the) NIC is a cruel oxymoron,” Hashmi wrote.

“His brand of communal politics is against the secular and plural value system that the council upholds,” she said, arguing that Thackeray’s entry would “further derogate the high credentials and stature of the body forever”.

Thackeray and the Sena have frequently been accused of inciting violence against minority communities and non-Maharashtrian residents of Mumbai.

This is what I wrote back:

Interesting news, never heard of this. 150 odd members in this council and some of the members are very odd indeed. People who are extremely corrupt (most of the lot actually), people who have been found guilty of murder (Shibu Soren), people are clearly on the caste band wagon (Mayawati), people who have campaigned against freedom of speech (Syed Shahabuddin) and so on and so forth. And then there is Narendra Modi in there already. Looks like Thackeray was included on the basis that smaller political parties were not included which sort of begs the question, why resign now and not for the membership of the other very odd worthies?

heh, some reasons for resignation are obviously higher than others, I find it amusing that Shabnam Hashmi finds corruption, murder, casteism and being against freedom of speech less important than religious/regionalism.