Modi staying silent on killings of rationalists: Sahgal.
By Dileep Thekkethil
Acclaimed writer Nayantara Sahgal returned the Sahitya Akademi Award she received for the novel ‘Rich Like Us’ to extend support to writers who protested against the recent killing of rationalists in India.
In a highly critical open letter titled “Unmaking of India”, Sahgal lashed out against prime minister Narendra Modi’s alleged insensitivity towards the killing of prominent rational writers like M M Kalburgi and Govind Pansare, who were slayed by Hindu bigots after the BJP government came to power.
In the letter, Sahgal expressed her woe of India, the most culture rich country, getting tainted by vicious assaults that are being watched silently by Prime Minister Modi, thus allowing the “reign of terror”.
Sahgal wrote, “We must assume he (PM Modi) dare not alienate evil-doers who support his ideology.” Hurt by the atrocities meted out against writers who utilized their right of freedom of expression, she said “Rationalists who question superstition, anyone who questions any aspect of the ugly and dangerous distortion of Hinduism known as Hindutva – whether in the intellectual or artistic sphere, or whether in terms of food habits and lifestyle – are being marginalised, persecuted, or murdered.”
She was quoted by PTI saying “Modi is a politician who knows how to speak. He has given long speeches. On twitter and other social media, he is vocal. He should be responsible for (what is happening) in the country.”
Sahgal, who is the daughter of Jawaharlal Nehru’s sister Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit, opined that “justice drags its feet” in India and the murders of rationalists like M.M. Kalburgi, Narendra Dhabolkar and Govind Pansare can be seen as an attack on rationalists.
She also criticized the lynching of a Muslim man in Utter Pradesh’s Dadri area over a rumor that he and his family consumed beef. Seven authors, six of them Kannada writers, had returned their Akademi Awards to protest against the murder of rationalists across the country.