The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has denied Rajya Sabha MP V Sivadasan permission to attend a ‘World Parliamentary Forum against Fascism’ organized by the Venezuelan government. 300 MPs from across the world are expected to participate in the ‘Parliamentary Forum Against Fascism’, scheduled for November 4 and 5 in Caracas.The permission was denied despite the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) giving the nod after the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) clearance. “The FCRA clearance shows that the government has no other concerns. However, without citing any reason, a letter from MEA says “Clearance from the political angle is declined,” said the MP.In the invitation letter sent to the MEA last month, Vice President of Venezuela, Pedro Infante extended gratitude to the Indian government for facilitating travel to V Sivadasan for the event.Registering his protest against the ministry’s move, the Rajya Sabha MP wrote a letter to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and said that he was taken aback by the denial of his participation in the Parliamentary Forum Against Fascism’ and it was an attack on his rights.It came as a surprise when the external affairs ministry denied the permission to attend the event, when India and Venezuela share good relations and are part of many multi-lateral platforms, including the recently formed International Solar Alliance, which was formed at the initiative of India, the CPI(MP) pointed out in the letter. India and Venezuela are members of the Non-Aligned Movement too, he said.The MP further said that this event is a gathering of parliamentarians from various countries, invited by the Parliament of Venezuela to share their views on one of the important threats in the present global political situation.“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, 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,” he said.On October 25, Venezuela Executive Vice-President Delcy Rodriguez visited India, During her visit, Rodriguez held discussions with key Indian officials, including the Minister of Finance, the EAM, and the Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas.
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