MH-SAHGAL

After the embarrassment over

the withdrawal of noted author Nayantara Sahgal's invitation,

organisers of a Marathi literary meet have decided to let a

farmer's widow open the event, beginning in Yavatmal Friday.

Akhil Bharatiya Sahitya Mahamandal vice chairperson

Vidya Deodhar made the announcement here Thursday.

"We have decided to inaugurate the literary meet at

the hands of a woman who lost her husband to agricultural

distress," she said.

The drought-prone Yavatmal district in Maharashtra is

the 'epicentre' of farmers suicides, accounting for the

maximum number of agrarian crisis-related deaths in the state.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis won't be attending

the meet, the 92nd Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan.

"Fadnavis won't be able to attend the literary meet,"

Yavatmal district guardian minister and meet organiser Madan

Yerawar said.

"I appeal to authors and poets boycotting the event to

rethink and attend the literary meet," the minister said.

Mahamandal president Shripad Joshi on Wednesday

resigned following the controversy over the withdrawal of

Sahgals invitation to the literary meet.

Joshi had invited Sahgal as the the chief guest and

keynote speaker for the meet. The invitation was revoked on

Sunday after some workers of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena

(MNS) objected to it.

Amid flak by opposition leaders and authors over

rescinding the invitation to Sahgal, the Chief Minister's

Office (CMO) had Monday distanced itself from the controversy.

Soon after the CMO clarification, Sahgal had said she

won't attend the meet now even if a fresh invite were to be

sent to her.

The CMO said the decision on whom to invite for the

meet is taken by the organisers and the state government has

no role in it.

Many opposition leaders alleged the invitation was

cancelled at the behest of the ruling BJP.

The CMO said the Mahamandal is an autonomous body and

neither the CM nor the state government interfere in its

functioning.

The Sharad Pawar-led NCP was not impressed by the

government's statement and had said the invitation was

cancelled "out of fear that Prime Minister Narendra Modi"

would not like if Sahgal, niece of first Prime Minister

Jawaharlal Nehru, attended the literary meet.

The noted English-language author was at the forefront

of the 'award-wapsi' (returning of awards) campaign. In 2015,

several writers returned their awards to protest against what

they described as "rising intolerance and growing assault on

free speech" under the Modi government.

Historian Ramachandra Guha had said, "The Maharashtra

that fears the words of a ninety one year old woman writer is

the Maharashtra of Godse and his mentors, not the Maharashtra

of Ambedkar, Phule, Gokhale or Tilak."

MNS chief Raj Thackeray had on Monday said he "deeply

regretted' the inconvenience caused to supporters of such

literary events by the action of a few of his men.