Kolkata, March 29 (IANS) Describing BJP leader Narendra Modi as the biggest threat to secularism in India, noted social activist Shabnam Hashmi Saturday also charged the the Mamata Banerjee regime in West Bengal was turning "authoritarian and dictatorial".
"After working in Gujarat for the past 12 years, I know how authoritarian and vindictive Modi is. There is absolute tyranny there. Unfortunately, the present scenario in Bengal is very close to dictatorship, very close to authoritarianism.
"Bengal is no more what it used to be, voices of dissent are being muffled, the land known for its tolerance, is steadily denying freedom of expression," Hashmi said at an event to mark the 60th birth anniversary of slain communist playwright and actor Safdar Hashmi credited with popularising street theatre in the country.
Titled "Halla Bol" after Safdar Hashmi's last street play, the event witnessed the participation of several eminent persons including noted Bengali actor and director Rudraprasad Sengupta and painter Wasim Kapoor.
Iconic Bengali film and stage actor Soumitra Chatterjee, who could not be present for the occasion, sent a message extending support to the event.
Shabnam also expressed her dismay over a large number of intellectuals becoming pro-establishment in Bengal.
"It is amazing and equally shocking to see a large number of intellectuals here have become part of the establishment and are speaking in its favour. The intellectual community is known for speaking against the establishment, it acts as a corrective group.
"But intellectuals become part of the establishment only when there is dictatorship," said Hashmi, who along with several social activists, artists and writers, has launched a national campaign for secularism under the platform of Janvadi Vichar Andolan Bharat (JAVAB) to defeat communal forces in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.
"Modi is the biggest threat to secularism and it will be unfortunate and alarming for the country, if he goes on to become the prime minister. There is a need to fight communalism and fascism which has been steadily rising in the country," said Hashmi as she rubbished claims of Gujarat's all round development.
"The ground realities are far from what has been projected. Nearly 40 percent of the population lives below poverty line, there is widespread unemployment, malnourishment. The man who cannot run his state is aspiring to run the country," she added.
Rape Accused Marries 22 Year old Victim in Odisha
Bhubaneswar, Jan 29 (IANS) A 32-year-old undertrial in Odisha has married a 22-year-old woman whom he allegedly raped in January last year, an official said Thursday.The wedding was solemnised
Actor dies: Kannada star Puneeth Rajkumar dies of a heart attack during a workout, section 144 in Karnataka, all theaters closed
Kannada actor Puneeth Rajkumar has died of a heart attack while working out at the gym. Soon after the heart attack, 46-year-old Puneet was admitted to Vikram Hospital in Bengaluru. There is a wave of
There was an attempt to bomb blast in PM's program, this was revealed during the hearing in NIA court, know the whole matter
The accused of terrorist attack on a Hindu man in Chakeri, Kanpur were sentenced to death. During the hearing held in the special court of NIA and ATS, many mysterious facts were placed before the
Nine migrant labourers returning home after nationwide coronavirus lockdown killed in two separate road accidents
कोरोनोवायरस लॉकडाउन के बीच घर लौट रहे कम से कम नौ प्रवासी मजदूर शनिवार की
Why is there no trust between farmers and the government?
Negotiations between the central government and the farmers' representatives who are opposing the new agricultural laws may have been initiated late, but the consensus is that negotiations are the
Congress has made Kerala nursery of terrorism: Modi
Kasaragod (Kerala), April 8 (IANS) BJP's prime ministerial nominee Narendra Modi Tuesday said the Congress has done nothing for Kerala, which has led the state to become a "nursery of
Nerves suffocated England out of WC: Collingwood
Adelaide, March 10 (IANS) Former England captain Paul Collingwood said on Tuesday that lack of confidence in the team suffocated it out of the World Cup following its fourth loss in five Pool A
Pak supporters are not allowing Hindus to live even in Bangladesh, they kept Quran in the Durga pandal and committed atrocities
The government has blamed Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and pro-Pakistan elements for the violence against the minority Hindu community during the recent Durga Puja in Bangladesh. Information and
Monsoon is about to arrive in these states including Delhi, UP, there will be relief from the sultry heat
People troubled by the sultry summer in North India are eagerly waiting for the monsoon. This time the monsoon is reaching late in the whole of North India including the capital Delhi, Uttar Pradesh,
Altitude of 15 thousand feet, temperature below zero; ITBP personnel are guarding on ice like this
The borders of the country are safe because our brave soldiers are guarding the borders between day and night, storm, rain, and snowfall. Whatever the circumstances, they are guarding the boundaries.
