Rajya Sabha MP and Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Dr V Sivadasan has written a letter to Union External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar after the Union government denied political clearance to him to attend a conference against fascism organised by the Venezuelan government.

The Parliamentary Forum Against Fascism, organised by the National Assembly of Venezuela, is being held from November 4 to 6 in Caracas, Venezuela. According to Sivadasan’s letter, the event has been organised to share views on one of the important threats in the present global political situation by parliamentarians from various countries. 

In his letter dated November 1, Sivadasan said that not allowing him to participate in the conference was an attack on his rights as a Member of Parliament. “The decision to deny my participation in the Parliamentary Forum Against Fascism is an attack on my rights as a member of Parliament and I register my strong protest against this action,” the letter read.

He further said that India and Venezuela share good relations and are part of many multi-lateral platforms, including the recently formed International Solar Alliance. “India and Venezuela are members of the Non-Aligned Movement too. 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,” he added.

Sivadasan added that representing the Left political thought and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) was an opportunity for him to place his 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 stated.

In June, the Union government had denied political clearance to Kerala’s Health Minister Veena George, who was planning to visit Kuwait in the wake of a fire accident in which more than 20 Malayalis employed in the country were killed. She reached Cochin International Airport to take the flight, but had to call off her trip due to the denial of clearance.