Claiming that the move by the authors and artists to return awards were "politically- motivated" and timed for Bihar elections, a senior RSS leader today termed such people as "intellectual terrorists".
"A section of intellectuals was running a movement of returning awards over intolerance in the country which ended with the Bihar polls," alleged Indresh Kumar, member of RSS's national executive, during a symposium here.
Incidentally, the JD(U)-led Grand Alliance in Bihar trounced the BJP-led NDA in the high-stakes Assembly polls, where the Modi-Shah-fronted alliance received a drubbing getting just over 50 seats while the Nitish Kumar-Lalu Prasad- led alliance clinched 178 seats.
Hitting out at the scholars, Indresh said that their protest has "disappeared" with the outcome of Bihar elections.
Terming the artistes who returned their awards over "intolerance" as "intellectual terrorists", Kumar, in a sarcastic tone said, the "atmosphere of intolerance" ended for the intellectual with the conclusion of Bihar polls, and tolerance restored in the country, as they were "toeing the lines" of their political masters.
Kumar also questioned the intellectuals as to why they did not return their awards after the 'Nirbhaya' gangrape incident or during the Jammu and Kashmir strife or during the exodus of the Kashmiri Pandits.
Condemning the recent incidents of sacrilege of Sikh holy book in Punjab, Kumar said the culprits must be nabbed.
He also appealed to those "spreading violence" to join the mainstream, saying violence is not the solution to any problem.
