Raising questions on the return of Sahitya Akademi award by a section of authors West Bengal Governor and veteran Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Keshari Nath Tripathi on Thursday said that the political consideration of the authors may be behind return of awards.
“It makes one ponder as to whether there is small group of persons who are lobbying for the return of these awards...from the day they received the award and the day they returned the award, several incidents have happened in the country. How is it that none of them prompted them to return the awards,” Mr. Tripathi told journalists at sidelines of an event. The Governor, questioned the “sudden awakening” of the authors and said that it appears that there is some “political consideration behind the return of awards”.
Mr. Tripathi said that the people should know about the political affiliations” of these people and decided whether the return of awards are “justified”. “Why did they not return the award when Nirbhaya incident happened in Delhi. Why did they not return the award when the Muzaffarnagar riots occurred in U.P? How is that they have awakened now?” the veteran BJP leader and a poet himself asked.
More than 20 writers have announced their decision to return Sahitya Akademi awards over the lynching at Dadri last month and attack on rationalist. These announcements were triggered by noted writer Nayantara Sahgal's decision last week to return her Sahitya Akademi award.
