Tribal Activist Candidate Poses a Problem for Aam Aadmi
By NIDA NAJAR MARCH 27, 2014, 1:35 AM
My Comment to New York Times: Soni Sori was in jail not for any crime but for opposing the powers that be in the state – hence human rights organizations campaigned for her release. A large number of tribal men and women are unjustly imprisoned in Chhattisgarh, awaiting trial for years on end. Who will address their plight and the causes for which they went to jail in the first place, the gross injustices that the tribal people of Chhattisgarh face? It is a correct and courageous move for a political party to recognize the strength of a woman like Soni Sori to stand up for the downtrodden and lead the way towards a just society for all. I salute her determination to overcome such extreme torture in police custody and keep up the courage to fight for her people. Listen to the sincerity in her heart as she talks about the problems tribal youth face and how she would address them: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFNyP4GhC8c (NRI Samay interview). You can only say that her candidacy poses a “problem” if you are looking at politics in the most narrow sense of winning an election. Her candidacy restored my faith that there is a political process that has space for selfless service. If people who have borne the brunt of the worst excesses of corrupt powers still have faith in democracy, and are willing to stand up and be part of the solution, then how can the rest of us be cynical? Recognizing the potential of Soni Sori to serve in the Parliament was a brilliant move by the AAP Party.
where trouble was needed 