It’s a devious political conspiracy: Rajnath Singh ,
New Delhi : The ambit of those protesting against the ‘highly vitiated atmosphere’ keeps on widening, and the government’s response keeps on getting harsher. More than 50 historians were added to the long list of writers, artists, film-makers and scientists who have either spoken out against the government or taken actions to register their protest. According to an estimate, more than 40 writers have returned their awards; three Padma Bhushan recipients — Ashoke Sen, PM Bhargava and P Balram — all scientists, have also decided to return their honours.
Now more than 50 historians, including frontline names like Romila Thapar, Irfan Habib, KN Pannikar and Mridula Mukherjee, have issued a strongly worded statement criticising the government on its growing intolerance. “Differences of opinion are being sought to be settled by using physical violence. Arguments are met not with counter arguments but with bullets,” the statement said referring to the Dadri lynching incident and the recent ink attack on Sudheendra Kulkarni during a book launch function in Mumbai.
The historians also focussed on the attempts to rewrite history. “What the regime seems to want is a kind of legislated history, a manufactured image of the past, glorifying certain aspects of it and denigrating others, without any regard for chronology, sources or methods of enquiry that are the building blocks of the edifice of history,” the statement said.
In a rejoinder to Union ministers Arun Jaitley and Mahesh Sharma’s comments on the issue, the statement added: “When writer after writer is returning their award of recognition in protest, no comment is made about the conditions that caused the protest; instead the ministers call it a paper revolution and advise the writers to stop writing. This is as good as saying that intellectuals will be silenced if they protest.”
The government sees a link between these statements and the Bihar elections; while addressing the media in Patna, two union
ministers — Jaitley and Rajnath Singh — came down heavily on these protests. Singh saw a political conspiracy in these protests. “Their actions reek of a devious political conspiracy. Any award with the Ashoka emblem on it is a national honour and to return it is to dishonour the nation and not the present government,” he said.
On his part, Jaitley harped on the manufactured dissent theme. “Those returning awards are playing politics by other means. Follow their tweets and their stances on various social and political issues. You will find a lot of rabid anti-BJP elements in them. I had already called it a manufactured rebellion. I stand by my phrase. And I think, the events as they are unfolding only indicate that kind of manufacturing is going on at faster speed,” he observed. The Congress strongly objected to the government’s description of these protesting intellectuals as political opponents. Party spokesperson Ajoy Kumar said: I think the union finance minister has erred in his choice of words. There is a manufacturing crisis in the country and not a manufactured crisis. If you look back, many people in their respective walks of life have protested even against the Congress. We take their protests as a part of the democratic culture but the BJP and RSS totally abhor any kind of opposition and freedom of speech, and believe that the right to speak up is against anything which they believe is wrong.”
