Guv echoing Centre’s view: Nayantara Sahgal

Hyderabad: Nayantara Sahgal, who was in the city on Friday to take part in the sixth edition of Hyderabad Literary Festival, started off where she left at the opening ceremony that happened on Thursday.

Reacting to Governor ESL Narasimhan’s comments on her remarks, the veteran writer said the latter’s comments were nothing but the Union government’s reaction to ‘award wapsi’. “It was a statement from the Centre,” she emphasised.

She accused the Centre of imposing the ‘Hindutva’ ideology on the people and stated that this is curbing the freedom of expression. “I was a born and practicing Hindu, but the ‘Hindutva’ ideology is travesty of Hinduism,” she remarked.

“Though no policy is made, the Union government’s ideology is eliminating the choice. The space for freedom of expression is shrinking and any form of dissent and disagreement is met with hostility. There is a fear among artistes and writers,” she asserted.

“Perumal Murugan died as a writer. When he was invited to accept an award he stated, ‘I am dead, how can I accept an award’. This shows the bitterness among the writers,” she said asserting that writers like Salman Rushdie and Taslima Nasreen had protection.

“People in the country have died for other ways of expression. The blacksmith in Dadri was lynched for eating beef. He had a right to eat beef and according to our constitution, we can eat and worship as we choose,” she lamented. Dismissing accusations of selective outrage, Nayanatara Sahgal said that they are rubbishing.

Stating that Aamir Khan was ousted as brand ambassador for ‘Incredible India’ campaign because hindutva forces don’t like him, the veteran writer remarked, “RSS is ruling the country.”Accusing that the Hindutva forces are imposing rules on the women, she found fault with non-reaction to an RSS leader’s statement that women should not work away from home and should sire more children.

“This reminds me of Hitler’s ruling in Nazi Germany, where it was mandated that women should be confined to kitchen, church and children. I sincerely hope that this will not happen in India,” she added. “I am a child of Gandhi’s India.

The India where it is right to speak, eat, think and worship according to our preferences. I will fight to ensure that these rights aren’t curbed,” she vowed Speaking about free speech and mob censorship on the social media platforms,

Sahgal said that they can be curbed by speaking and writing about what is happening to the freedom of expression. “I said what I had to say on the opening ceremony as a part of my fight against this hostility,” she concluded.