Popular Front of India

The Popular Front of India is a confederation of minority society organizations which is active in southern India. Its slogan is "Naya Karavan : Naya Hindustan", which means "The new travelling group and the new India" The Front was formed on November 22 2006 and is supported by the Karnataka Forum for Dignity (KFD), National Development Front (NDF), and Manitha Neethi Pasarai (MNP). These organisations are active in the states of Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu, respectively. [cite news
title= Muslim bodies float front
url= http://www.hindu.com/2006/12/12/stories/2006121201960500.htm
work= The Hindu
date= 2006-12-12
accessdate= 2007-02-21] [ Popular Front of India floated [http://news.webindia123.com/news/articles/India/20061210/532982.html] ]

Background

A common platform with the name South India Council was formed as the outcome of a Regional Discussion attended by Muslim social activists and intellectuals from all the South Indian States at Bangalore on 25th & 26th January 2004. South India Council has taken up various issues related to community empowerment, especially reservation in education and employment. South India Council, with the cooperation of Confederation of Muslim Institutions in India organized a two day Workshop on Muslim Reservation on 26th & 27th November 2005 at Hyderabad. Mr. K. Rahman Khan, Hon’ble Deputy Chairperson, Rajya Sabha inaugurated the same.

In the context of Central Government decision to introduce reservation in higher education, South India Council has organized three Regional Conventions on Reservation: at Calicut on 4th August 2006, at Bangalore on 5th August 2006, and at Chennai on 17th August 2006. A National Convention on Reservation in Higher Education was organized by the South India Council jointly with All India Milli Council at New Delhi on 29th August 2006. The dignitaries who addressed the convention include Mr. V. P. Singh, Hon’ble Former Prime Minister and Mr. Oscar Fernandez, Hon’ble Union Minister. [ See the background section in site popularfront-india.com [http://www.popularfront-india.org] ]

Confereration of Organisations

The following three state level organizations have proved their commitment to the common cause of social justice by actively involving in various programmes of the Council.

* Karnataka Forum for Dignity - (KFD)
* National Development Front - (NDF)
* Manitha Neethi Pasarai - (MNP)

It is felt that if these three independent state level organizations work with more cooperation and coordination, the results would be more evident. The Secretariat of the South India Council which consists of leaders associated with these three organizations gave serious thought to this matter in different meetings. The issue was discussed within the respective organizations also. All the state organizations have given the opinion that each of them will continue to work separately as independent organizations, but they would work together as constituents of a federation. To mark a successful turning point to the above efforts, a joint meeting of the Secretariat of South India Council and representatives of KFD, NDF and MNP held 22nd November 2006 at Calicut decided to launch Popular Front of India as a federation and approved the vision statement.

Popular Front of India declares that it will confine its activities to the South Indian States and presently this federation includes KFD, NDF and MNP. [ Summery section : popularfront-india.com [http://www.popularfront-india.com] ]

Events

* Empower India Conference : In February 2007, the PFI organised a three-day Empower India Conference in Bangalore, which ended with a public rally that gathered over 30,000 people. [cite news
title= `Create broad-based alliance of all oppressed sections'
url= http://www.hindu.com/2007/02/18/stories/2007021820880100.htm
work= The Hindu
date= 2007-02-18
accessdate= 2007-02-21] .In the conference, one of the main guest, Alan Hart, British journalist specialising in West-Asian affairs, said that he had unlearnt many stereotypes about the oppressed classes in the course of making a film on global poverty. ["Alan Hart" addressing in Empower India Conference [http://www.hindu.com/2007/02/16/stories/2007021605040400.htm] ]

References

External links

* [http://www.popularfrontindia.org/ Popular Front Of India]
* [http://www.hindu.com/2007/02/18/stories/2007021820880100.htm "Create broad-based alliance of all oppressed sections", The Hindu, Feb 18, 2007]
* Video summarizing the Empower India Conference [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wF_UcLNoSKw]