PM Modi should ask his ministers to speak responsibly, says Ashok Vajpeyi

Poet Ashok Vajpeyi on Wednesday said that the growing ethos of violence and intolerance across the country and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's silence on such issues, was the reason for him returning the Sahitya Akademi award.

"For more than a year now, I have been watching with much despair the growing ethos of violence and intolerance, belittling of institutions, interfering with them and making this country uncomfortable for the minorities. This is the lone reason for me returning the Sahitya Akademi award," Vajpeyi told ANI here.

Referring to the Dadri lynching incident, Vajpeyi said: "Secondly, there is a rumour that a man is having beef in his house and he is murdered. And hence, the Prime Minister who keeps on speaking on all issues, keeps quiet. He (PM Modi) is not able to shut up these ministers. He is not able to assure the people at large who have elected him. In fact, Home Minister and Finance Minister have made statements, but nothing happens on the ground, and these forces feel encouraged."

"The point is that there are irresponsible statements being made by ministers on a daily basis. The minister of culture seems to be remarkably culturally illiterate in saying that a road named after Abdul Kalam is justified because although he was Muslim, but a nationalist. This is a downright insult to the 18 percent of our population," Vajpeyi added.

Indirectly pointing at the murder of writer M M Kalburgi in Karnataka, in late August and the murder of two other rationalists, Narendra Dhabolkar and Govind Pansare in Maharashtra, he said: "In recent years, three daylight murders took place of two intellectuals and a writer and their killers have not yet been apprehended. A slow moving investigation is going on. An impression is going on that all these hurt groups are feeling encouraged by the inaction of the state.