We wrote to PM Chris Luxon about Mr David Seymour and Ms Melissa Lee attending the Ram Mandir event at Eden Park in Tamaki Makaurau Auckland.
Information about and objection to MPs endorsing Ram Mandir
Kia ora Mr Luxon
Attached is a media release from Aotearoa Alliance Of Progressive Indians, Hindus for Human Rights ANZ and The Humanism Project about the Ram Mandir celebrations in India (and Australia+New Zealand).
Please read to understand the background of this event.
We also wish to object to the presence of Mr David Seymour and Carlos Cheung MP from Mt Roskill at the celebrations on 21 January at Eden Park in Tamaki Makaurau Auckland. We also wish to object the endorsement by Ms Melissa Lee via video.
The Ram Mandir, as you will read from the media release, is the culmination of a traumatic event in the history of India and will continue to hurt a vast number of Indians especially Indian Muslims. This temple does not represent Indians.
Congratulating a fascist regime and parroting lines given by its representatives is indeed participating in the terror of Hindutva which is Hindu supremacy. We suggest you inform yourself about it. Perhaps talk to SIS about it.
Mr Seymour chanting Jai Shri Ram is akin to saying Heil Hitler, if you knew how incendiary this chant is in India and for Indians
We understand you wish to visit India and finalise a trade deal. While trade has benefitted humans for millenia, we wish to caution about how your deal might affect the minority communities in India.
We are happy to discuss Hindutva and/or trade with you. After all these issues are not just centred around business and economics but real humans.
Nga mihi nui.
Team AAPI
We have not yet received any reply apart from the standard response you get when you write to a member of Parliament or minister.
We know Mr Luxon was at Rātana today but and he might have missed the brouhaha. After all he was facing tough questions about te Tiriti referendum that ACT have proposed.
So we will wait and update if his office does get back to AAPI.
Meanwhile here is some more reading and watching.
https://thespinoff.co.nz/politics/24-01-2024/why-two-government-ministers-presence-at-a-hindu-nationalist-rally-is-causing-concern
https://mickhall.substack.com/p/seymours-use-of-chant-mainstreams
https://feijoa.substack.com/p/new-zealand-ministers-praise-modi
