Oppn welcomes Sahgal, Vajpeyi move; Akademi questions decision

Eminent writers Nayantara Sahgal and Ashok Vajpeyi today drew support from the opposition parties for their decision to return the Sahitya Akademi awards with the Congress saying it reflected the anger in the country against "intolerance".
Sahitya Akademi President Vishwanath Prasad Tiwari, however, questioned the actions of Sahgal, niece of former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, and Vajpeyi, a Hindi poet, saying authors should adopt a "different way" to protest and not politicise the autonomous literary body. He said even during the Emergency the Akademi did not take a stand.
Opposition parties praised the two writers for "standing up" to the idea of a "plural" India.

Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi said that "cheap" political leaders are "attacking" the very soul of India by "decrying and denying" the country's diversity.
"By words, actions, innuendos, insinuations, public statements, the so-called cheap political leaders, with continued eerie silence by the Prime Minister, are dividing the very idea of India.
"They are decrying and denying the diversity of India and they are attacking the very soul of India," he said.

Lauding the position taken by Sahgal, CPI leader D Raja opined that her decision reflected the "mood and anger" in the country against "intolerance" shown by RSS and Sangh Parivar outfits.

"I appreciate the position taken by madam (Sahgal), she reflects the moral mood, anger in the country against intolerance shown by RSS and Sangh Parivar outfits against the fellow citizens," he said.
Congress leader Manish Tiwari said, "The fundamentals of the idea of India are under assault. Sahgal needs to be saluted, kudos to her and tricolour salute to her for standing up to the idea of India."
Vishwanath Prasad Tiwari, the Akademi's chairperson and himself a renowned Hindi poet, writer and critic, urged writers to adopt a different manner of protest and not to drag the literary body into politics.

"The Akademi is not a government organisation but an autonomous body. The award is given to a writer for a chosen work and there is no logic to return the award because it is not like the Padma awards," he told PTI.
"The Akademi, India's national academy of letters translates the winning work into different languages and the awarded writer earns a lot of honour and prestige. Even if the writer returns the prize, what about the goodwill earned?"
"Writers should adopt a different way to protest. How can they blame the Sahitya Akademi, which has been in existence for over 60 years. Even during the Emergency the Akademi did not take a stand," Tiwari said.

He emphasised that according to the convention in literary circles, the Akademi has been engaged in translation of works into different languages, giving awards, holding seminars and workshops to further literary causes.
"If the Sahitya Akademi jumps in and protests against the restriction of the freedom of speech then will it not divert from its primary work?
"I understand that the writers are protesting not against the Sahitya Akademi but against the government. So if this is the agenda should Sahitya Akademi get into this agenda and leave behind its literary work?" Tiwari asked.