The present government was voted on the agenda of development. Since its inception however their agenda seems to be different, one which was not put before the voters. It is the environment of hate and interference in the personal preferences of citizens that is spreading now and leading to the sad killings of innocent citizens and rationalist writers that is taking place, which is being protested by these writers, by returning their awards. It shows a lack of understanding and grace to question their motives and to ask repeatedly, where were they when Sikhs were killed or some particular writer was attacked. The anti Sikh riots were an unfortunate reaction for a short period of time but there was no sustained agenda against them. For strong reactions to develop it takes time to crystalize. It shows height of intolerance that even act of returning awards is intolerable. The govt needs to perform and not be sustained by its supporters on skewed agendas of buried long ago.

Now, the facts clearly show that it was again the Hindu girl and Muslim boy behind this murder which was committed by spreading rumor of beef eating the case is left to a murder and accused get punished according to rule of law. If the writers still do not see the reason it's nothing but politicizing the situation. The opposition is doing its level best to keep the issue in limelight even if they have to bring bad name to their own country. A minister responsible in UP government for keeping law and order has gone to UN to protect Muslims from fundamentalists. what a joke,  the question is who will save the slaughter of Hindus from the other party which is a common scene in the area.

In a free country its free citizens can marry anyone they like unless it is a case of kidnapping. The environment of hate between communities is being propagated and vested persons  are not either able to see it or are deliberately avoiding the issue. The MP of that area was himself partner in a beef project ! Do we have to look at each other as Indians or as Hindus, Muslims, Dalits, Sikhs, Christians etc. That will decide the issue. 

First of all the government at the center has not sanctioned any of the killings , either of the rationalist writers nor the lynching in UP and all of it should be condemned in the strongest of words and culprits punished suitably ..If at all the UP government should take responsibility for the later attack and the Karnataka government for the attack on Kalburgi. There were always attacks in India , in fact even worse atrocities committed on tribals and Dalits and rational voices were curbed in West Bengal not once but many times , but  no one seemed to really care nor did they think of returning their awards.. The largest communal violence took place in 1984 where nearly 3000 sikhs were brutally massacred  and of course other than lip sympathy no one really did anything nor did the rationalists go on a protest when the people directly responsible for the violence have been roaming free with the help of the concerned party leaders...The sikh riots are still an issue with sikhs who have lost their families and loved ones if people think it is a one time agenda they should think of the distress that this one time agenda has caused for generation of sikh families .

I see intolerance in these rationalists who do not want to be a part of the mainstream.No one is taking away their right of expression but when you live in a society you have to blend in and any thought you express should not hurt the sentiments of people...I have had the experience of interacting with some of the rational writers who were the office bearer for writers group here and one can see the intolerance at every level , they tend to think they are superior beings , which is more than anything amusing .This is also communalism and many common people find it very insulting. If at all clashes take place, it is because of such attitude more than anything else, and, if they want to truly bring in changes they need to convince rather than confront and insult peoples beliefs . But I seriously doubt if they have any such agenda, it is protest for the sake of protest , indirectly showing their support to a political party ..

It would do a world of good if issues were not seen above this party and that party or referring constantly to past incidents. The present is far more important because it is the reality. Personal egos and superiority complexes cannot be excuses for rational ideas to be denounced. Whether a govt agrees or not , the govt during whose time incidents occur are held responsible by common people and punished at time of elections, most of the time. It is the sly polarization under the garb of development that is worrisome. Does not matter which political party does it. It is going to harm the country in the long run. Even forums like ours will not be allowed to operate. Does it not worry us? What is use blaming the past. Let us think of the future.

I doubt if the writers see it that way, they take this step of returning their awards because a certain party is in power...Their grouse is nit against the state government which failed to protect them, but against the central government ! So it is they who are politicising the issue by showing selective outrage !

The very intention of these writers who returned their awards was some thing different. The reason according to those writers is  Dadri lynching incident. in fact these protesters were led by a group that have some other political affiliations. And it's a small group. But the group  in reality is against a party which ruling the country. The party that's leading the  protesters are desperately trying to come in to power once again. It's obvious who is politicizing the whole issue. 

usha manohar wrote:

I doubt if the writers see it that way, they take this step of returning their awards because a certain party is in power...Their grouse is nit against the state government which failed to protect them, but against the central government ! So it is they who are politicising the issue by showing selective outrage !

The state governments are responsible for law and order. To that extent, The U.P. government managed by Samajvadi Party is responsible. But the fact remains that the culprits behind the outrage are none but the saffron block. The promient figures belonging to main ruling party at cente are obstructing arrestof the culprits who are definitely associated with the saffron organization. We cannot equate the watchman with thief. That is to say that the negligence of state government cannot be equated with criminal activities of the saffron organizations whose pivot is RSS- the rallying point as well as real ruling organization at center.  

Renouncing an award is a very old practice. As we all know that Tagore did it by returning his Knighthood after Jaliwanwalla Bagh massacre. He was right in doing so. At present the writers have all the right to show their protest in their own way but it should be backed by a strong moral ground. The same writer must act in the same way when a similar situation arises again irrespective of any political bias. If this time the writers renounced the awards only to show support to a certain political party and to demean another then their act lose its sheen but countering a writer by posing a question that why she didn't do it during the Anti-Sikh riot then my simple opinion is maybe she failed to react at that moment but that does not signify her support for the riot. This writer spoke against Emergency so I would like to think that the writer has no hidden agenda. Expression of reaction may vary due to age and many other conditions.

Gulshan Kumar Ajmani wrote:

usha manohar wrote:

I doubt if the writers see it that way, they take this step of returning their awards because a certain party is in power...Their grouse is nit against the state government which failed to protect them, but against the central government ! So it is they who are politicising the issue by showing selective outrage !

The state governments are responsible for law and order. To that extent, The U.P. government managed by Samajvadi Party is responsible. But the fact remains that the culprits behind the outrage are none but the saffron block. The promient figures belonging to main ruling party at cente are obstructing arrestof the culprits who are definitely associated with the saffron organization. We cannot equate the watchman with thief. That is to say that the negligence of state government cannot be equated with criminal activities of the saffron organizations whose pivot is RSS- the rallying point as well as real ruling organization at center.  

 

Between the year 1985-1995 more than 600 Kashmir Pandits were butchered by the militant groups in Kashmir and there was a mass exodus of Pandits from Srinagar ...so it was the centers fault then too according to your argument and I don't remember the writers especially Nayan Tara who is also a Kashmiri getting panic stricken nor feeling a twinge of conscience, deciding to return her award. Let us not simply make excuses, everybody knows who is behind this step ...it is the party that calls itself secular but in actuality is the most communal of all parties in this country ..At least the so called Saffron brigade has the guts to show itself in true colors and if they are behind the attack since the opposition wants it to be that way , they will be caught and punished !