Return to literary world: CPI to Tamil writer Perumal Murugan

CPI today appealed to Tamil writer Perumal Murugan to reconsider his decision to leave the literary world, while it denounced the fundamentalist forces for "strangulating" the writer's freedom.
Backing Murugan, who has withdrawn himself from writing after a controversy over one of his novels, 'Madhorubagan', CPI also disapproved the stand of government officials, which the party claimed "forced" the writer to withdraw his novel.
CPI's national council urged Murugan to continue his writing.
"The CPI National Council condemns fundamentalist forces which strangulate the writer's freedom and disapproves the position of the government officials forcing the writer to withdraw his novel.

"The national council requests writer Perumal Murugan to reconsider his decision and continue his writing," the party said after a resolution on the same was taken during the just concluded national council meet in Nagpur.
Noting that Murugan has been writing on social issues for the last 25 years and recently condemned the compulsory capitation fee prevalent in private educational institutions, the party said that the particular article irritated the commercial educational capitalists.

"In this background, the RSS found fault with a recorded cultural event in his novel and campaigned against him and organised a public protest," it said.
Murugan withdrew his novel recently and announced that he would not write in the future and declared that he had withdrawn all his literary writings.

Murugan declared "Perumal Murugan the author is dead," after tendering an unconditional apology in a peace meeting convened by the government. His reaction had stunned the literary world, triggering a raging debate over freedom of expression.
CPI said that all this happened because of the violent protests including a 'hartal' organised by the "fundamentalist forces particularly the Hindutva forces".
"This is height of intolerance of fundamentalist forces towards literature which they do not subscribe," it said.
CPI said that after the intervention of government officials a peace committee was formed, which the party claimed "compelled" the writer to withdraw his novel.

"This act is basically against writers' freedom and against constitutional right of freedom of expressions. The bureaucrats and the RSS cannot judge a novel and dictate terms to a writer," the party said.