Writers, politicians oppose RSS move on Pash’s poem

Tribune News Service

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Chandigarh, July 29

The Aam Aadmi Party, Left parties, rights groups and writers today opposed the RSS move to remove Punjabi poet Avtar Pash’s poem from NCERT textbooks. They held a meeting here today to discuss the matter.

Prof Harish Puri, former head, political science, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, who presided over the meeting, said: “We should spread awareness among the masses about the anti-people designs of the RSS.”

Sukhpal Singh Khaira, Leader of Opposition, said the RSS move was retrograde. “It is an attack on creative and progressive thinking of literary persons. All right-thinking people should come forward to thwart such attempts,” he said.

Prof Rabinder Nath Sharma, senate member, Panjab University, said the writers, who the RSS wanted to remove from public memory, were those who brought recognition to the Indian literature.

Prof Manjit Singh said since Punjab had a tradition of resistance against anti-people ideologies, its people had the potential to stop the current onslaught of the RSS.

Dr Joginder Dyal of the CPI, Dr Sarabjit Singh of Kendri Punjabi Lekhak Sabha, and Prof HS Mehta.