Journalism of Courage
Acclaimed Kannada writer and Jnanpith awardee Dr U R Ananthamurthy on Thursday reiterated his remark that he would not live in a country whose Prime Minister is Narendra Modi. Despite vitriolic reactions from the BJP which dubbed the noted writer as parasite and said he was free to leave India,Ananthamurthy stood his ground and said the Gujarat Chief Minister would create fear among people if he becomes the PM of the country.
He (Modi) will create fear and if a fearsome man is sitting there,people will just bow down to him because a bully creates cowards, Ananthamurthy said here today.
The country needs to build a citizenry who are not afraid and a governance where people do not follow a leader slavishly,he added.
Ananthamurthy said there was dignity attached to PMs post when Pandit (Jawaharlal) Nehru and (P V) Narasimha Rao assumed the charge,but this will wane away if Modi becomes the PM.
Furious at Ananthamurthys remarks,BJP and Modis supporters accused the writer of swaying according to political climate after having supported the Congress and JD(S) in the past and currying favours with the Congress government of the day. BJP MP Ananthkumar Hegde and local party leaders said the author was free to leave the country.
On BJPs attacks on him,Ananthamurthy said he had been critical of Indira Gandhi and Nehru in the past but was never abused as much as the saffron party did. If I say something and I am abused so much by a gang of people,imagine when they are in power what will happen, he said.
Ananthamurthy said the BJP has always criticised him because he did not buy the RSSs Hindu philosophy. They are a fascist party and dont understand Hinduism, he said.
