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print versionBinoy Viswam
Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha)
116, North Avenue
New Delhi - 110 001
Mob: 9605766702
E-mail: binoyviswam55[at]gmail.com
S. No. BV/2023-24/PMO/06 Dt. 23th July, 2023
To,
Shri Narendra Modi, Prime Minister, Government of India
Respected Shri Narendra Modi ji,
I write this letter to convey to you distressing developments from your own Lok Sabha constituency which you have not taken note of. The campus of the Sarva Sewa Sangh in Varanasi is being demolished by the administration and several followers of Mahatma Gandhi, leaders of political parties, academicians and civil society activists were arrested for protesting this move. The administration wishes to demolish the seven-decades-old campus which houses a publishing house, a library, a free preschool, a Khadi Bhandar and a statue of Mahatma Gandhi to build a guest house in its place.
The Sarva Sewa Sangh was founded back in 1948 by luminaries like Acharya Vinoba Bhave, Dr. Rajendra Prasad, Kaka Kalelkar and Jayaprakash Narayan to unite “all constructive workers engaged in different fields in the country to achieve Swaraj based on the philosophy of Sarvodaya” as dreamt by Gandhi ji. The Varanasi campus of the Sarva Sewa Sangh came into existence through the efforts of Vinoba Bhave, Lal Bahadur Shastri, Babu Jagjivan Ram and JP to organize publishing activities to propagate Gandhian ideals to the people of the country. An organization with such rich history and contribution being demolished in your own constituency is a clear betrayal of Gandhian ideals.
Very recently, while unveiling a bust of Mahatma Gandhi in Hiroshima you said “the Gandhian ideals of peace and harmony reverberate globally and give strength to millions.” Looking at the destruction of an organization which is committed to spread the same Gandhian ideals, it seems that you remember Gandhi ji only on foreign trips while dismantling his work and thoughts at home. In this context, I urge you to stand up to the occasion in solidarity with the people of Varanasi, immediately stop the bulldozing of Sarva Sewa Sangh and protect the organization so closely linked with Mahatma Gandhi.
(Binoy Viswam)
Leader of CPI Parliamentary Group & Secretary, National Council
Member, Committee on Public Undertakings
Member, Standing Committee on Labour, Textiles and Skill Development Member, Consultative Committee on Environment, Forest and Climate Change
