New Home minister plans meeting with writers, thinkers

Parameshwara defends writers' choice of returning awards

Home Minister G Parameshwara said on Monday that he will hold a meeting with writers and thinkers to discuss how to follow the path of peace and harmony at a time when many writers are returning awards to protest against ‘rising intolerance’.

Speaking to reporters in the City after releasing Prof B K Chandrashekar’s booklet, ‘2014 Lok Sabha Campaign: what BJP promised and what they said later,’ Parameshwara said that he will seek suggestions from the writers and progressive thinkers on ways to ensure peace, harmony and unity in  society.

They will also be given updates on the steps taken by the State government to investigate into the killing of Prof M M Kalburgi.

Tagore’s protest
The minister defended the intellectual community and said that even Rabindranath Tagore renounced his knighthood protesting the Jalianwala Bagh massacre in 1919.

“This is how writers and progressive thinkers react and protest. It is not right to oppose this and criticise them,” he said, adding that a special police team had been formed to probe into the Kalburgi case.

The State government will not tolerate moral policing and severe action will be taken those who take law into their hands.

There are already provisions in the law is to punish those indulging in moral policing and there is no need for any new amendments in this regard, he said.

On food habits
Parameshwara, who is also the State Congress president, hit out at the BJP on the recent row regarding food habits. “Religion has nothing to do with the food habits of people. What you eat is a personal choice. One should not interfere in the dietary choices of people.

“Some people eat brinjal and some eat meat. Food habits should not be politicised,” he added. He took exception to Karnataka Rakshana Vedike for staging a protest against
celebrating Gujarat Utsav at the Raj Bhavan on November 1.