The Mamata Banerjee Government has led itself into a fresh controversy by postponing an Urdu literary meet featuring “atheist” lyricist and poet Javed Akhtar.
The Trinamool Congress allegedly succumbed to browbeating by some Muslim pressure groups like Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind and the Wahyahin Foundation.
The Government vault face is being explained in terms of “TMC’s keenness to keep the Muslim vote bank happy” before the next year’s Assembly elections.
Akhtar was invited as the chief guest to preside over a Mushaira on Monday. The Mushaira was a part of the three-day-long West Bengal Urdu Academy’s literary festival, where one of the topics of discussion was to be the contribution of ‘Urdu in Hindi Cinema’.
“The Government has knelt before the Islamist organisations ahead of the Assembly elections in 2026,” said a senior State BJP leader.
“Mamata Banerjee has no problems playing around with the Hindu sentiments, but when it comes to Muslims she turns into a mouse. What was the problem in hosting Javed Akhtar? Is it because he is an atheist? Do we have to believe that Urdu and Islam are synonymous, or do we have to believe that State Government that runs on taxpayers’ money is subservient to Islamist groups?” the leader said.
In a letter to the State Government, the Jamiat had earlier written to the State Government asking it to drop Akhtar from the list of invitees and warned of a “democratic movement” if its advice was ignored. “If our people’s requests are not heeded, we will be forced to adopt another method prevalent in democracy. Earlier, Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind had launched a movement against Taslima Nasreen, who had blasphemed the teachings of the Prophet, and forced her to leave Bengal,” it reminded.
Zillur Rahman, a functionary of Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind’s, said they wrote to the Urdu Academy questioning Akhtar’s invitation. He said, “He (Javed Akhtar) has spoken a lot of bad things against Islam, against Muslims. This person is not a human but a devil in human guise. His name must not be included in this programme.”
Incidentally, one of the State ministers, Siddiqullah Chowdhury is an important functionary of the Jamiat.
When asked to comment on the matter, a State CPI(M) leader condemned the Government’s decision to backtrack on the Akhtar issue.