BJP attacks writers

With protests of intellectuals spreading out to filmmakers, the BJP on Wednesday dug out some statistics to cry hoax on writers who returned their Sahitya Akademi Awards over killing of rationalists.

A senior BJP leader said more than 25 writers had announced through media that they would return their Sahitya Akademi awards in protest against “growing intolerance” but only 8 actually wrote letters to the institution on returning their honours.

Among the eight, only three of them returned the cash award of Rs 1 lakh, which prompted the BJP to claim that the protest was politically stage managed.

Acclaimed novelist Nayantara Sahgal was among the three writers who returned the cash award. Raising question mark on their sincerity,  BJP sources said that Udai Prakash, who was the first to raise his voice over attacks on writers and intellectuals, had got his Akademi award in 2010 but did not think appropriate to  give up his honour when Dhabolkar murder took place three years later.

Similarly, he claimed that there was a pattern that writers and other intellectuals are only giving up their national awards but why not similar stand is being taken to give up honours given by states where incidents take place.
Doubts
Ruling party leaders cited the example of Dadri to wonder why same yardstick was not applied to protest against the Akhilesh government since the crime spot falls in Greater Noida of Uttar Pradesh.

Expressing solidarity with the protesting authors, some of the writers including Malayalam poet K Satchidanandan had resigned from the Akademi’s governing council.