Exiled Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen has accused the West Bengal government of suppressing the voice of artists and writers and claimed that her play ‘Lajja’, based on her novel, was forcibly canceled from two theater festivals in the state.
Nasreen alleged that the police interfered in the Gobardanga Natyotsav in North 24 Parganas and the Pandua Natyotsav in Hooghly and pressured the organizers to remove the play from the program as they feared it could incite communal riots.
“The program of the play was announced two months ago, but suddenly the police put pressure on the organizers to remove ‘Lajja’ from the list,” he wrote in a post on Monday. Let me remind you that a theater group had staged the same play thrice in a packed auditorium in Delhi.
Nasreen criticized the West Bengal administration for making ‘excuses’ such as fear of inciting violence by staging this play. “I was forced to leave West Bengal due to the apprehension that my presence would incite fundamentalist people to instigate riots,” he lamented. I am unable to understand why no action is being taken against the rioters and why the voice of free expression of writers is being suppressed.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) supported Nasreen’s claims and Union Minister Sukant Majumdar accused Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of hypocrisy.
Majumdar said, “The little difference that existed between the fundamentalists of Bangladesh and the Chief Minister of West Bengal has also ended. She is not allowing popular drama against fundamentalism for fear of inciting riots.
BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya posted, “If Mamata Banerjee is unable to handle law and order in Bengal and is so fearful of Muslims that even art, culture and freedom of expression are being suppressed, then she should Should consider resigning.”
Organizers of the Gobardanga Theater Festival have confirmed that ‘Lajja’ has been removed from the list, but refused to give any other reason.
