Kolkata: With an eye on the Assembly polls due next year, the West Bengal government run by Mamata Banerjee has postponed a literary festival following protests by Islamist groups against the presence of lyricist and Javed Akhtar.
The TMC-run government-run West Bengal Urdu Academy had warned of strict protests if Akhtar’s invitation wasn’t withdrawn, reports The Hindu.
Ready for a challenge? Click here to take our quiz and show off your knowledge!
Urdu in Hindi Cinema, was scheduled to be conduted between August 31 and September 3, in Kolkata.
The event was meant to hail the “rich contributions of Urdu to Indian cinema through discussions, poetry recitations, and cultural performances.”
Akhtar was suppsoed to be the chief guest at an important mushaira on September 1.
Ready for a challenge? Click here to take our quiz and show off your knowledge!
However, city-based Islamist organisations like Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind and the Wahyahin Foundation were against the invitation.
Also Read: SCO Summit: China supports India against cross-border terrorism as PM Modi raises contentious issues
Akhar to them is a man who is against religion and God.
The Urdu Academy however said the event was postponed owing to “unavoidable circumstances”
But according to The Hindu, the state dispenstion was scared of growing acrimony over the event with the election round the corner.
Nuzrat Zainab, Secretary of the Urdu Academy, blamed it on “unavoidable circumstances.
“As I said, due to unavoidable circumstances,” The Hindu quoted him as saying.
Needless to say, Mamata’s party has always banked on the over 30 per cent minority votes in the state which have always bolstered its prospects.
Hence, it could ill-afford to antagonise Urdu scholars.