CPI(M) Rajya Sabha MP, V Sivadasan. Photo: Express Kerala.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) of India has denied permission to Communist Party of India (Marxist) Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament V Sivadasan to participate in the World Parliamentary Forum Against Fascism, an official event organised by the Parliament of Venezuela. The invitation to the conference was extended to Sivadasan during the visit of Venezuelan Vice President Pedro Infante to India in October this year. The meeting will host 300 parliamentarians from across the globe.
In India, members of both Houses of Parliament are required to seek two levels of permission to travel abroad to attend any official meeting. While they must furnish an FCRA (Foreign Currency Regulation Act) license Form-II from Ministry of Home Affairs to use official facilities of any foreign government, they must also get a political clearance from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
Talking to NewsClick over phone, Sivadasan said the “intent of the government was clear from beginning when it denied me the permission to participate when FCRA clearance was not attached. In usual cases, the officials ask for FCRA clearance documents. I again applied for it on October 28 and the permission was denied citing a political angle.”
Registering his protest, Sivadasan said that the nature of the event itself indicates that it is a gathering of parliamentarians from various countries, invited by the Parliament of Venezuela to share their views on the present global political situation.
In his letter to the Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar, Sivadasan said,” The growth of far-right and neo-fascist parties across the world is recognised by many democracies as a threat to the social fabric. Many governments and parties (irrespective of the fact whether they are in power or not), concerned about democracy are coming together to fight this threat. I wanted to join these efforts and strengthen such an initiative. Representing the Left political thought and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) this was an opportunity for me to place my views on the subject and strengthen the struggle against the far-right, neo-fascist threat. Unfortunately, I was denied my right to participate in such an important event and express my views.”
He added, “I am taken aback by your Ministry’s decision denying my right to participate all the more because India and Venezuela share good relations and are part of many multilateral platforms, including the recently formed International Solar Alliance, which was formed at the initiative of our country. India and Venezuela are members of the Non-Aligned Movement too.”
In a statement, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) termed the MEA’s move as an “attempt to stifle any voice that does not conform with the ruling party’s views.”
It said, “The CPI(M) received an invitation from the National Assembly of Venezuela to nominate its parliament members to participate in the Parliamentarian’s Forum Against Fascism, organised by it. The Party nominated Dr V Sivadasan to represent it and participate in this Forum, where parliamentarians from many countries are going to be present.”
The statement added, “It is highly deplorable that in spite of getting the FCRA clearance, the Ministry of External Affairs denied political clearance to Sivadasan, thus infringing his rights as a Member of Parliament. The government is following a policy of political discrimination, where differing voices are prevented from expressing their views. This should be a matter of concern for all opposition parties and their members of Parliament.”
Earlier this year, the MEA’s permission was also denied to Kerala Health Minister Veena George when she sought approval to travel to Kuwait to look after the treatment of Indian workers badly injured in a factory fire that claimed the lives of 23 workers.
(NewsClick) by Ravi Kaushal
