Politial slugfest over writers returning awards

A political slugfest broke out today over growing number of writers returning their literary awards with Congress dubbing as "perverse and cynical" Finance Minister Arun Jaitley's dismissal of their action as a "manufactured paper rebellion" against the government.
The BJP on its part targeted the Congress, saying those returning awards in the wake of Dadri lynching incident and attacks on rationalists are doing new kind of politics after their "patrons" lost and seemed like "Congress sponsored" as they stood in support of that party.
West Bengal Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi also waded into the row when he said there appeared to be "some kind of political considerations" behind return of Sahitya Akademi awards by various writers to protest against alleged growing intolerance.

Congress leader and former Union Minister Shashi Tharoor, an acclaimed writer and columnist, said though writers have every right to stand up for their freedom of expression, returning the Akademi awards was not the right way of protest as it would amount to "dishonouring" it.
Dubbing Jaitley's remarks as "perverse and cynical", Congress leader Anand Sharma contended that there was a "plan to create division with the diabolical agenda of radical elements of the so called Hindutva forces to suppress dissent and intimidate those (who speak up)."
Noting that communal conflicts are not a law and order issue, he told reporters in Delhi that "it is part of a larger agenda of suppression of voices".

He said government's response showed that it was "insincere, insensitive and unconcerned" to the happenings in the country in the wake of the Dadri lynching incident.

"We respect their(writers') intelligence but if they stand in support of a party that has lost election, Anand Sharma will talk about it, then it will further clarify that it is Congress sponsored," senior BJP leader and Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said.
He said, "These all writers are an honour for us but all of them have been hating Narendra Modi. See their last 10 year history, except few. Their patrons have lost today so they are resorting to new politics."

Hitting out at Congress for its attack on the government at the sidelines of an event, he said, "Anand Sharma should answer where were these writers at the time of Tasleema Nasreen incident in Bengal. When Anand Sharma's party imposed Emergency on country, then except Kuldeep Nayyar and Ram Nath Goenka, where were these writers."
Jaitley, a senior BJP leader, yesterday termed the steady stream of writers returning Sahitya Academy awards as a "manufactured paper rebellion" against the government in the wake of a "manufactured crisis".
Actor and BJP MP Kirron Kher termed the act of authors returning Sahitya Akademi awards as "politically motivated".