Congress urges intelligentsia to fight back Modi Govt.'s 'dictatorship'

Congress leader Manish Tewari on Sunday alleged that the greatest casualty since Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government came to power has been the liberal and creative spaces of India, and urged the intelligentsia to fight back the 'dictatorship' imposed on them in the last 28 months.

Tewari used filmmaker Anurag Kashyap's diatribe against Prime Minister Modi on twitter to target the government, which he accused of being fascist.

"The greatest casualty in the last 28 months has been the liberal and creative spaces of India. Therefore, the people across the board - writers, artistes, members of the intelligentsia, people who are engaged in creative fields need to push back against this kind of dictatorship, against this kind of fascism which has been let lose," Tewari said.

"We created the liberal spaces in India which belongs to the people of the nation and they have to be re-appropriated by the liberal community back from the kind of fascism which has been unleashed onto it," he added.

Responding to criticism for questioning Prime Minister Modi about his Pakistan visit, Kashyap today said that he has every right to question the former as a citizen of the country.

"Just to make it clear, I complain because I expect my government to protect us, I question the PM because I have every right to," he tweeted.

Further in a series of tweets, he said, "I am not going to address a party that has become redundant and irrelevant and is trying to find relevance again by using the film industry."

"We have been vulnerable for long, and have been paying the price by being used by everyone to find any kind of standing."

"And the real trade between the two countries across the border has not faced any kind of opposition, but we must pay the price for it and anyone who questions my love for the country by shouting , must prove their love by representing the country either on the border."

"And anyone who questions my love for the country by shouting must prove their love by representing the country either on the border."

"Or prove your love by representing the country in a honourable way. Not by shouting here. And yes sir @narendramodi we need protection.. It's really high time."

"I refuse to live in the fear created by blind fanatics that you cannot have a conversation with your PM or question him or expect from him."

"I would rather ask my questions directly to the PM than trying to impress him by fake nationalism of banning "what puts you in news."

The film writer-director cum-producer expressed his annoyance on social media after cinema owners association decided to stay the release of movies starring Pakistani artistes.

The Cinema Owners Exhibitors Association of India (COEAI) earlier announced that they would not screen movies starring Pakistani artistes in the four states of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka and Goa.