“Freedom of expression is a state where opinions are expressed without fear and opportunities are given to debate on opinions, criticise or accept them,” writer Perumal Murugan said on Friday.
Addressing the audience during a convention on “Freedom of Expression” organised as part of the 14th State-level meeting of Puducherry Progressive Writers and Artists Association, Mr. Murugan, who observed that freedom of expression was the fundamental value of democracy, said: “Those who curtail the freedom of speech and expression are completely aware of what they are doing. Those are people who are intolerant and incapable of accepting difference of opinions.”
Thanking the Tamil Nadu Progressive Writers’ and Artists’ Association, who came out in his support during a controversy over his novel Madhorubhagan , Mr. Murugan said the point of convergence of the ideologies of “Ambedkar, Periyar and Marx as an important basis to safeguard freedom of expression.”
Lyricist Vairamuthu said he regarded freedom of expression as a person's birth right. “It is a fundamental right which should be present in every culture, research and experience which should be passed on to the next generation,” he said. It was the faculties of thought, word and deed that distinguished man from animals, he said.
‘Freedom under threat’
Stating that the freedom of press and expression were under threat in these times, Chief Minister V. Narayanasamy said: “We are in a situation where we have to fight to protect our freedom of expression,” he said.
He said the strength of the nation lies in being secular. “The BJP wants to convert the nation into one religion. Where will the Christians, Muslims, Sikhs or Jains go?” he asked.
