As stated on the Indian Cultural Forum website by over 150 scientists the appeal says, "To defend our rights, we must reject those who lynch or assault people, those who discriminate against people because of religion, caste, gender, language or region. Again, we must reject those who encourage such practices. We cannot endorse a politics that divides us, creates fears, and marginalises a large fraction of our society — women, dalits, adivasis, religious minorities, the persons with disabilities or the poor. Diversity is our democracy’s greatest strength; discrimination and non-inclusivity strike at its very foundation."
An atmosphere in which scientists, activists and rationalists are hounded, harassed, intimidated, censored, jailed, or worse, murdered, is not the future our country deserves. It is not the future we want to give our youth. We want them to awaken to a country that sees science as a means of democratic empowerment through sceptical, open-minded questioning, rather than just a commercial enterprise. We must put an end to the denigration of rational, evidence-based public discourse; only then can we create better resources and opportunities for jobs, education and research."
Also read- Over 200 Writers Appeal Against 'Hate Politics'
They appealed to all citizens to vote wisely, weighing arguments and evidence critically, to remember the constitutional commitment to scientific temper, to vote against inequality, intimidation, discrimination, and unreason.
The appeal was concluded by Rabindranath's famous poem 'Where the mind is without fear'.
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