Week after Sammelan ends, Sabnis releases his full ‘uncensored’ speech

Shripal Sabnis, the president of Akhil Bhartiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan, released the copies of his presidential speech on Wednesday-almost a week after the literary meet concluded-after the Sahitya Mahamandal provided him with copies of his speech text. Sabnis, who had stirred a storm with his disparaging remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, had threatened to go on hunger strike along with his wife if the literary body did not publish and distribute the copies of his speech as has been done traditionally.

Insiders say that as per the literary fest’s tradition, which concluded its 89th edition last week, booklets containing the president’s speech are distributed among delegates, invitees and members of the outfit on the inaugural day itself. But due to the controversy which erupted a few days prior to the inauguration, the organiser took an impromptu decision not to distribute the booklets. While Sabnis made his 135-page speech at the inauguration ceremony, the written version was not given out to anyone.

Protesting the move, Sabnis had demanded that the Mahamandal print copies of his speech and distribute them by January 26, failing which he would sit on a hunger strike the next day. “On Tuesday, Mahamandal representatives visited my house and handed over 25 copies of the booklet. They told me that 1,000 booklets have been printed and would be distributed among invitees and delegates. Hence, there’s no need to launch a protest. The Mahamandal promised us that the booklets would be distributed within five days. I will wait for a week, and if the word is not kept, will start my agitation,” Sabnis told reporters.