Opposition parties have come out in support of author Nayantara Sahgal's decision to return her Sahitya Akademi award, praising her for "standing up" for the idea of a "plural" India.
Backing Sahgal, Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi said that "cheap" political leaders are "attacking" the very soul of India by "decrying and denying" the country's diversity.
"By words, actions, innuendos, insinuations, public statements, the so-called cheap political leaders, with continued eerie silence by the Prime Minister, are dividing the very idea of India.
"They are decrying and denying the diversity of India and they are attacking the very soul of India," he said.
Lauding the position taken by Sahgal, niece of former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, CPI leader D Raja opined that her decision reflected the "mood and anger" in the country against "intolerance" shown by RSS and Sangh Parivar outfits.
"I appreciate the position taken by madam (Sahgal), she reflects the moral mood, anger in the country against intolerance shown by RSS and Sangh Parivar outfits against the fellow citizens," Raja alleged.
"The fundamentals of the idea of India are under assault, Sahgal needs to be saluted, kudos to her and tricolour salute to her for standing up to the idea of India," Congress leader Manish Tiwari said.
Hindi poet Ashok Vajpeyi who, too, has returned his Sahitya Akademi award following Sahgal's lead, said there were several reasons for his decision, including the recent attack on rationalists and writers and violence over religion.
"This is in solidarity with writers and intellectuals being murdered in broad daylight," Vajpeyi told PTI.
"How can we sit quietly when this is happening and particularly when the Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) is keeping quiet.
"He is a very eloquent Prime Minister who goes and addresses lakhs of people and here writers are being murdered, innocent people are being killed, his ministers are making very objectionable statements and he keeps quiet," Vajpeyi said.
Returning her Sahitya Akademi award, Sahgal had said, "The ruling ideology today is a fascist ideology and that is what is worrying me now. We did not have a fascist government until now... I am doing whatever I believe in.
